If You're a Bird, I'm a Bird
by teamjacobrulez
Summary: Two months after the Cullens left, a new family moved in. They're oddly pale but have very warm skin. Bella occasionally sees them with red eyes, but they're quick to deny it. Bella fools herself into thinking that they're human, but are they really?
1. Broken Glass

**I'm back! :D A lot of you have been asking for a Bella/OC pairing so here it is!**

**It's kind of a mix of Another Chance and I'm in Love with a Rockstar, so that's something to look forward to :)**

**This is going to be a Bella/OC pairing for sure, so don't hope otherwise. I'm also warning you guys now that the first 10 chapters or so will have lots and lots of time jumps. I'm just really trying to get to the climax as fast as I can, but I also need to establish Bella's relationship with my characters. Guess here's my disclaimer...**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bella, Charlie, Angela, the Cullens, or any of Stephanie Meyer's characters. They are hers, although I wish they were mine :) I also do not own any brand name clothes or songs that are used in the story. HOWEVER, I do own the characters that I make myself and you'll be introduced to them soon enough :D**

**I hope you guys enjoy!**

**P.S. I thought I'd just throw it out there that it's my 2 YEAR FREAKING ANNIVERSARY on FanFiction. So, YAY to me! :DDD**

Chapter 1: Broken Glass

**Bella POV**

I could hear myself screaming, calling, and begging for _his_ name, but I couldn't wake up. I wouldn't allow myself to wake up. I could clearly see his face in front of me. He stood there with a stoic expression. His liquid-like topaz eyes stared through me as if I wasn't even there. I took a step towards him. He took two steps back.

"Edward…" I whispered his name shakily, mentally begging him to say something. _Anything._ "Please!" I begged.

Suddenly, his eyes got darker. I couldn't tear my eyes from his own. It felt like I was looking into a deep, black hole. His lips pulled back into a snarl.

Then… he lunged.

* * *

><p>"Bella!"<p>

I gasped and shot out from my bed. My chest heaved up and down erratically as I took in huge gulps of air. My fingers were clenched around my sheets tightly, making my knuckles turn white.

"Bella?" I heard my name get called out again.

I looked to my left and saw Charlie looking at me with a very worried expression. "Are you alright?"

"I'm f-fine," I stuttered with a cracked voice.

Charlie sighed and sat on my bed. He took my hands into his and looked at me directly in the eye. "You've been having nightmares every single day for the past couple of months, Bella. This isn't normal. Not for anyone," he said softly.

"I'm fine, Dad. I swear," I said trying to convince not only him but only myself.

Charlie took another sigh, saying, "Okay." He finally stood and made his way through my door. Just before he could exit, he turned around mid-step and said, "Bella, everyone experiences pain. I know you're going through a painful time right now. I get that, but you don't have to be so miserable. Misery and pain are two different things. Pain is unavoidable, but to put yourself through misery is an option. You don't have to be miserable if you don't want to."

After his speech, he closed the door and left me to think about his words.

* * *

><p>"Did you hear?" Jessica asked Lauren.<p>

"Totally! I can't believe we're having five new kids again. Talk about awesome!" Lauren exclaimed.

I couldn't help but flinch when she said 'five new kids.' It was too much of a remembrance of what I had lost. It brought too much pain.

"Can't you two be a little more considerate?" Angela hissed at them, her eyes glancing towards me.

However, Jessica just rolled her eyes while Lauren stuck up her nose and gave me a dirty look.

"Boo hoo," Lauren fake cried, "We're hurting Miserable Swan's feelings. Who cares? If it were up to me, she wouldn't even be sitting with us."

I clenched my hands into fists under the table. I chanted a mantra inside my head, desperately trying to keep calm. _Don't punch Lauren. Don't punch Lauren. Don't punch – _

"We all know that she's just sitting with us because Edward Cullen dumped her. About time too. I don't even see what he saw in her. She's not a Swan. She's an ugly, little – "

A sickening crunch echoed throughout the cafeteria. Everyone's eyes turned towards the noise, which was unfortunately in my direction. My fist had just finished colliding with Lauren's nose. I took satisfaction in the fact that I felt her nose break under my fist.

"You bitch!" she shrieked, covering her broken and bleeding nose. I merely smirked.

"I've _always_ wanted to do that," I spat at her. Everyone at our table – Jessica, Angela, Eric, Mike, and Tyler – looked at me with wide eyes and dropped jaws. "By the way, don't ever talk about me as if I'm not even there. It's rude," I hissed at Lauren, before walking away.

"Freak!" I heard her yell out.

"Plastic bitch!" I shouted back, not even bothering to turn around.

* * *

><p>The rest of my day turned out rather well, despite the fact that I was the talk of the school once again. I wasn't surprised at all. If anything, I was rather shocked that I haven't been called up to the Principal's Office yet.<p>

I was sitting all alone on the bleachers during gym class when I heard clapping to my right. I turned my head to see an unfamiliar face smirking. That was odd. All faces in Forks High are usually familiar to me, unless…

"Bloody Hell, woman! That was some punch you gave that girl there," he praised with a slight British accent. I looked him over and realized that he was unnaturally pale. My face blanched at the thought of pale skin.

"Umm, thanks. I guess," I muttered.

Instead of backing off like most others should have, he took a seat next to me. He unexpectedly wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him close enough for some of his brown hair to fan across my face.

"As you can probably tell, I'm new here, but I can tell that you and I are going to be great friends," he grinned, giving me a look at the metal ball piercing below his bottom lip.

"Umm…"

"Ives! Dammit! You're scaring her," a voice shouted, but this time it was a girl's voice. I turned to the direction of the voice and saw a girl walking towards us. Her long brown hair blew behind her and her pale skin seemed to be glowing.

"Ives?" I asked, unsure of his name. He nodded enthusiastically and held out his hand for me to shake. At the touch of his hand, I was slightly surprised to feel how hot he was in comparison to my own heat.

"Yup, that's the name. I'm Ives Fiore. That's pronounced fee-yo-ree, by the way," he said. By this time, the girl had finally reached us. She was glaring intensely at Ives.

"Ives!" she scolded. "You know what Adrien said."

"I know, but you have to admit, Rayne. This girl can pack a punch! Anyone who can punch like that _must_ become my friend," he exclaimed.

The girl, Rayne, finally acknowledged me. "Okay, it was impressive," she admitted, giving me a warm smile.

"Thanks," I said again, "Are you two related?"

"Actually, we have adoptive parents," Rayne answered. My mind automatically thought back to _them_, but I tried to shake away the thoughts. "I'm Rayne, by the way."

I couldn't help but chuckle, surprising myself a bit. "Yeah, I caught that," I replied, pointing a finger at Ives. "And I'm Bella. Bella Swan," I introduced.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled, shaking my hand.

"So… _Bella_," Ives sang.

"What?"

"Will you be my first best friend here? 'Cuz that would totally be awesome," he exclaimed, mocking Lauren's earlier choice of words. My eyes widened at the realization, but I just passed it off as a coincidence.

"Sure," I replied.

Ives grinned widely and pumped his fist in the air. Suddenly, he stood up and yelled across the gym. "What now, Daniel? I made a friend! I'm not as weird as you say I am!"

Somewhere inside the gym, someone yelled a faint, "Shut up!"

"Uhh..." I said awkwardly. Rayne just looked at my bewildered expression and laughed.

"He's talking to another one of our siblings, Daniel," she explained, "If you hadn't noticed already, Ives is kind of the – "

"The idiot of the family?" I joked. She laughed but nodded.

Ives, however, pouted and crossed his arms, saying, "I resent that."

"No, you don't," Rayne argued. "Anyways," she continued, turning to me, "Daniel made a bet with him that because he's so weird, he won't be able to make a single friend on the first day."

I nodded at the information. "So what do you win?" I asked Ives, nudging him.

"He has to be Marc's punching buddy," he answered with relief in his voice.

"Marc…?"

"Our ten-year-old brother," Rayne answered for me, "He tends to be very… hyperactive."

"It doesn't help that he eats _too_ much ice cream," Ives mumbled. I was about to ask him what he meant when the bell rang.

"It was nice meeting you," Rayne said quickly, "I'll see you around!" She walked away and met up with whom I assume to be Daniel.

"Isn't there supposed to be five of you?" I asked Ives before her could leave.

"Yeah, but Landon was too lazy to come today and Patrick is a bit of a loner," he answered with a shrug.

"You're one odd family aren't you?" I asked with a laugh.

He merely grinned. "Tell me about it," he chuckled.

"Well, I better get going," I announced.

"Bye, best friend!" he exclaimed before I could walk out of sight.

Ives didn't see it, but I had a huge smile on my face. It was honestly the first genuine smile I've had in months.

_Maybe this new family won't be as bad as I thought._

* * *

><p>The next day, I started out the day with my usual routine. I woke up from another nightmare, took a shower, got dressed, and drove to school. Even I have to admit that it's getting just a bit too boring. My morning at school, however, started off a bit differently.<p>

I was staring out into space like I usually do when I heard the loud roar of a motorcycle. _Motorcycle?_ My eyes snapped to the origin of the noise. A guy dressed in a black leather jacket and black converse stepped off of the motorcycle and winked at a bunch of girls that were ogling him.

He was also unnaturally pale like the others. I could see a bit of Rayne's features in him except that his hair is much darker. I could see why the girls were ogling him, but I just didn't want to dwell on the matter.

"That freaking show-off," I heard a voice say. I turned towards the voice and saw another pale-skinned and brown-haired boy. He had his face buried into a professional camera. By the looks of the camera, I could assume that it was very expensive. Noticing his demeanor, I concluded that he must be Patrick and the one on the motorcycle must be Landon.

"Somebody's jealous," Ives' now familiar voice sang. Patrick finally pulled the camera from his face and rolled his eyes.

"Fuck off, you muppet," Patrick hissed.

"Whatever, leprechaun," Ives chided, a teasing grin on his lips. Patrick opened his mouth to speak but Ives decided to acknowledge my presence before he could actually speak. "Bella! My best friend," Ives exclaimed, taking a seat beside me.

Patrick let out an unattractive snort. "You're best friend with this idiot?" he spat out.

"Umm… kind of…" I mumbled.

Ives mock gasped. "I am terribly hurt by your words!"

"No, you're not," both Patrick and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed.

"I'm Patrick," he finally introduced, shaking my hand. I could sense a bit of Irish in his voice.

"Are you part Irish?" I asked. He let out exaggerated sigh while Ives laughed at him.

"Yeah, but I'm hardly Irish. I'm more American than anything," he answered.

"I was wondering why he called you a leprechaun," I joked.

Patrick rolled his eyes. "Which by the way is rather stupid when I'm taller than him," he said.

Ives stood up and gave him an annoyed glare. "Yeah, by like half an inch! And you never bloody let me live it down!" he shouted before stomping away.

"Your brother is a bit… umm…"

"Overdramatic? Yeah, that's Ives for you," he muttered. "Oh, by the way, I saw you punch that girl yesterday. It was very impressive," he added.

I shrugged, thanking him. "It was nothing. She deserved it anyways."

"By how hard you punched her, I'd say that she did," he laughed. Our conversation was cut short when the bell rang. "Well, I'll see you around," he said as he walked away. I sighed and threw my bag over my shoulder. _Well, today will be interesting,_ I thought to myself.

I made my way to my first period English and took my seat. After Ed – _he_ left, every single seat next to me in every class became empty. _As if I never existed_ my ass. Everyday there's some sort of constant reminder that he actually existed, that he was _real._

Right before class started, the teacher introduced a new student. I looked up and saw that it was Landon. All the girls around me openly ogled him. When the teacher sat him down to the seat next to me, all the girls turned to glare at me. I just rolled my eyes.

"Bella?" the teacher called.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Would you wind filling Mr. Fiore in?"

"No problem," I mumbled. I turned to him and muttered a "Hey."

"I'm Landon," he introduced, giving me a smile.

"I'm – "

"Beautiful, I know," he grinned.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I beg your pardon?"

"Bella means beautiful in Italian," he explained.

I couldn't help the blood that rushed to my cheeks. "Right," I mumbled. "Anyways, we just finished our Edgar Allan Poe Unit. We're going to be starting Romeo and Juliet today," I said, filling him in.

He nodded. "Hey, I couldn't help but notice you talking to Ives and Patrick earlier. Are you guys friends?" he asked with curiosity.

"I wouldn't say friends exactly," I chuckled, "Ives dubbed me his best friend yesterday and I just met Patrick today."

"Have you met Rayne and Daniel yet?"

"I met Rayne but not Daniel," I answered.

"Word of warning," Landon whispered as if he was telling me a secret, "Daniel is the really serious one out of all of us and Rayne is the sarcastic cheerleader."

I laughed. "Do all of you have dubbed names? Ives is the idiot, Patrick is the loner, Marc is the hyperactive child, Daniel is the serious one, Rayne is the sarcastic cheerleader, and you are…"

"The Hot Badboy," he smirked. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Of course," I said, chuckling, "That explains the whole motorcycle thing."

"Oh, and I forgot. We also have a nine-year-old sister named Rhia. Now, her, she's the Devil Child," he added.

"Devil Child?" I asked with confusion.

He let out a small groan. "If you know her like we do, you'd understand." I opened my mouth to say something but the teacher interrupted by letting out a fake cough.

"Are you done filling him in, Bella?" she leered.

"_Oh_, yeah," I mumbled, blushing.

"Well, then, let's continue…"

I looked at Landon and saw that he was holding in a laugh. My lips stretched out into a smile and I covered my mouth to stifle my laughter. Landon had also done the same thing.

"Is there a problem here?" the teacher asked again, obviously annoyed.

Landon coughed and said, "No, ma'am." She huffed and turned back to the board.

By this time, I had put my head down on the table as I tried to reign in a full onslaught of laughter that was bubbling in my throat. I was laughing freely and it felt really good. I don't know what it is about the Fiores, but they've managed to bring more life into me in two days than my own father in two months.

* * *

><p>By the time lunch rolled around, I realized that I had at least one of the new kids in each of my classes. I had Landon in my first three periods, Rayne in Third, and Ives in Fourth. Although Daniel is also a senior, I haven't had any classes with him. I also had no classes with Patrick because I learned that he's only a sophomore. Even though they're juniors, Rayne had Trig with me because of her advanced classes and Ives shared Spanish with me.<p>

Apparently, I was still in my zombie state yesterday, which is why I hadn't noticed Ives and Rayne earlier. I also found out that Landon and Rayne are actually blood-related siblings and that Rayne is dating Daniel. It wasn't quite a shock but it did hit a sore spot somewhere inside my chest.

As Ives and I walked out of fourth period, he insisted that I sit him for lunch. "But Ives…" I whined. He just rolled his eyes and continued to drag me across the cafeteria. I could feel his intense heat through the touch of his hand once again. "Ives? Why are you so hot?" I asked.

"Body heat, I guess," he shrugged.

"No, like you're really, really hot," I continued. He looked at me and grinned.

"Well, I'm glad you think so," he smirked.

"That's not what I – "

"You bitch!" Lauren's shriek echoed around the cafeteria.

"Uh oh," Ives muttered.

"Not helping," I hissed, pulling my hand out from his.

I turned around and saw Lauren storming her way towards me. I couldn't help but smirk at her bandaged nose.

"It's all your fault!" she accused, stopping right in front of me.

"Pray tell, what is my fault?" I asked with annoyance.

"It's your fault that Edward didn't notice me. It's your fault the Cullens left. It's your fault that I have a broken nose, and it's your fault that Landon won't even look at me!" she yelled.

"Okay, I get the first three, but what the hell do I have to do with Landon not liking you. You probably turned him off just by being in the same room as him," I replied.

"I heard that you were cozying up with him from First to Third," she accused.

"You're cheating on me?" Ives asked, acting appalled. I threw him a heated glare.

"You two are going out – "

"No, no, we're not," I quickly cut her off, waving off her question.

"I thought he had something special!" Ives pouted and dramatically walked away.

"Idiot…" I muttered.

"Ugh, whatever. Just stay away from Landon. You got that?" she demanded.

"I can do whatever the hell I please," I snapped. This only fueled her anger.

"You little – "

"Bitch? I think you've overused that word already. Find me when you can come up with a better insult," I said harshly before walking away.

"Watch out!" I heard someone shout so I ducked. Food flew over my head and landed on another student's face. Lauren's mouth dropped open and the other student glared at her.

"Food fight!" I heard Ives exclaimed. And just like that, food began flying from every direction inside the cafeteria. I groaned and began to try to crawl my way out. I squeaked in pain when my head bumped into another head. I looked up and locked eyes with Landon. There was a moment when all we did was stare into each other's eyes.

However, the moment was broken when he breathed out, "Hey."

"Hi," I replied, blood rushing to my cheeks.

"Wanna get out of here?" he asked.

I grinned. "Definitely." He grabbed my hand and we managed to exit the cafeteria unscathed. We made it out to the Quad and began laughing. "Thanks," I smiled, subtly pulling my hand out from his warm ones.

"No problem," he chuckled. "Does that happen a lot?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not really. This is the first food fight that's happened since I got here," I answered.

He laughed. "I actually meant Lauren harping at you, but that too," he said.

"Oh, _that_," I muttered, laughing nervously. "It happens everyday. It's nothing new," I shrugged.

"But you fighting back…" he trailed off.

"Started yesterday," I finished, grinning at the memory.

"Her broken nose… that was you?" he asked with mild awe.

"Oh yeah," I smiled, "I can't even describe how good that felt."

"That sucks. I didn't get to see it," he grumbled.

"'Cuz apparently, you were too lazy yesterday," I joked.

"Didn't you know? Laziness comes with being a Hot Badboy," he deadpanned. I looked at his serious face and broke out laughing. Still laughing, I began to walk out onto the grass. "Where are you going?" he asked. I shrugged and kept walking. He followed me blindly.

In typical Bella fashion, I tripped on a piece of grass and fell forwards. I closed my eyes as I waited for the impact, but instead, two very warm arms caught my waist and pulled me back.

"Are you okay?" Landon asked, his breath fanning across my bare neck.

"I-I'm o-okay," I stammered, blushing. He removed his hands from me and I shivered at the loss of heat. "We should get back," I announced, not wanting any more accidents to happen.

Landon looked up at the sky and nodded. "Yeah, I think it's about to start raining," he said.

"I'll race you," I joked, nudging his side.

"How about I just carry you?" I squealed when he unexpectedly hoisted me up onto his back. "This way, you won't trip," he teased, and began running back to the school.

I laughed all the way there. No matter how much I tried to avoid the thought, I just couldn't help but think about how perfect my body felt against his.

And it scared me.

_A lot._

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	2. Out of My Element

**Just to let you guys know, this is probably the shortest chapter in this entire story. So... expect all the other future chapters to be preeeetty long :)**

**I also forgot to tell you guys that I will be updating this story once a week. So, yay for you guys!  
>I'm also very happy at the feedback I received from the first chapter. Thank you guys so much! Also, thank you for all those who alerted and favorited. <strong>

**Anyways, ENJOY! :D**

Chapter 2: Out Of My Element

**Bella POV**

"And where did you two escape to?" I heard Rayne's voice tease. Both Landon and I rolled our eyes.

"The Quad," we both answered.

Rayne let out a fake gasp. "You guys are even answering questions at the same time. How cute!" she exclaimed.

"Shut up," I groaned.

"You know that I have Lacey at home," Landon argued. I bit my lip at the newfound information.

Rayne rolled her eyes. "How can I forget Lacey Ryde? The pathetic excuse of a – "

"Rayne," Landon hissed with warning.

"Are you guys British too?" I asked, completely changing the topic. They both blinked at me as if they were trying to process if I had really just asked that.

I had heard a slip of British accent in Rayne's voice when she was badmouthing the so-called Lacey.

"British and Italian, actually. We're usually good at hiding the accent. We just slip sometimes," Rayne finally answered. _Oh my, they come from everywhere._

"Okay, let me get this straight. You and Landon are British and Italian. Ives is just plain British, and Patrick is Irish and American. What are the others?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"Our real dad is also British and Italian," Landon answered.

"Our adoptive mother is French and Italian. Marc is actually her real son and he's just like her but also part American because of his dad," Rayne continued.

"Rhia is French and German, which is why we all sometimes refer to her as a Nazi," Landon joked.

"And Daniel is – "

"Just American," a deep manly voice answered. A guy with blonde surfer hair appeared behind Rayne, wrapping his arms around her.

"How boring," I joked with a smile.

"Daniel Roo," he introduced, "That's spelled R-O-U-X, by the way."

"Roux…?"I asked with confusion. _I thought their last name is Fiore._

"Oh, right! I forgot to tell you, we go by two different last names," Rayne informed, "Cassandra, our adoptive mom, once went by Roux, but she goes by Fiore now because she's married to our dad. However, Marc and her adoptive sons, Patrick and Daniel, still go by Roux."

"Rayne, Ives, Rhia, and I are the ones that go by Fiore," Landon finished.

"You guys are one complicated family," I grumbled, trying to remember all of the information.

"You'll get used to it," Daniel chuckled.

"Hey, Bella. Would you want to come over at our house today? You would be our very first guest," Rayne offered with a smile.

"I don't know if – "

"Please!" Ives begged, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

"Umm… where did you come fro – "

"That's not important," he interrupted. "Please, come over," he begged.

"Way to be subtle," I heard Landon grumble. I gave him a quick glance before turning back to Rayne.

"Fine," I finally agreed. Rayne squealed in delight and hugged me.

"I totally convinced you," Ives sang, poking me.

"Shut up, Ives," Daniel groaned.

"Whatever, Danny. You're just mad 'cuz you lost the bet," Ives teased, sticking his tongue out.

Daniel gave him a dirty scowl. "Don't remind me," he snapped.

"What's so bad about Marc anyways?" I asked cluelessly.

Everyone in their family turned to me, giving me blank looks. _Uh oh._

* * *

><p>"ICE CREAM! WHOO!" a shrill voice shrieked from behind the door.<p>

"Should I be scared?" I asked Daniel nervously.

He shook his head. "_Oh, yeah_," he exaggerated.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when Landon opened the door. A boy, whom I assume to be Marc, was bouncing all over the place with a huge tub of vanilla ice cream curled to his chest. However, that's not what caught me off guard. Even though we had a good few feet in between us, I could clearly see the distinct color of red in Marc's irises.

"W-what's wrong with his e-eyes?" I stuttered.

"Shit," a chorus of voice grumbled.

"What do you mean?" Rayne asked, albeit rather forcefully.

"H-his e-eyes are – " I shut up when Marc himself stood in front of me. I looked into his… brown eyes? _No way! They were red just a second ago._

"Hi, hi, hi! I'm Marc. Who are you? What's your name? Wait! Do you like ice cream? 'Cuz I love ice cream! I could eat it all day everyday for the rest of my life," Marc ranted without taking a single breath. He continued to bounce in front of me, waiting for an answer.

"I…uh…"

Landon saved me by putting his whole hand into Marc's face and shoving him away. "Sorry about that," he apologized, rubbing his neck nervously.

"It's alright. He's just a bit… umm…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"ADHD?" Patrick offered, rolling his eyes, "Again, Bella. It's okay if you insult our family."

"Yeah!" Ives enthusiastically agreed, "We insult each other all the time."

"It's true," Daniel added, nodding his head.

"Yo, idiots! Dad wants you to – " A blonde girl came out from one of the corners of the house and stopped mid-step at the sight of me. "_Oh_, who's this?" she asked with a bit of an edge to her tone.

"Bella meet Hitler," Rayne introduced in a monotone voice. The girl, who is most likely Rhia, gave her a blank look.

"Really? You're _so_ original," Rhia spat, before turning to me. "It's Rhia, by the way," she said.

"I'm – "

"Well, Bella, apparently," she rudely interrupted. "As I was saying, Dad wants you to set the table," she informed before disappearing into the direction she came from.

I turned to look at Landon. He was giving me an 'I told you so' look.

"That's Rhia for you," Rayne sighed.

"I swear, the only people she actually gets along with is Marc, Adrien, and Cassandra," Daniel said.

We heard a faint sniffing and all turned to look at Ives. "Oh, hell yeah! I smell food," Ives exclaimed, most likely running to the direction of the kitchen.

"Your dad cooks?" I asked with surprise.

"He's a chef! And he cooks really, really, _really_ good food. You should eat dinner with us, Bella. Oh! I just noticed! You're so pretty! Not trashy like stupid Lacey, but _pretty_," Marc ranted once again, his eyes twinkling with awe. I just looked down at him awkwardly.

Landon groaned and pushed Marc out of the way again. "Go away!" he grumbled. Marc shrugged and bounced out of our sights.

"You convinced yet?" Patrick asked, setting his camera down.

"Convinced of what?"

"That we're an extremely weird family," Daniel answered for him.

I couldn't help but laugh. "I was convinced of that when I first met Ives," I joked.

Rayne beamed at me. "You know, you and I are going to get along quite well," she grinned. She grabbed Daniel's hand and dragged him to the same direction Ives, Marc, and Rhia went. A few seconds later, I heard her shout, "Dad! We should stay here for a while."

Landon placed a hand behind my back, guiding me to the kitchen, while Patrick followed behind us.

"Now, why is that? Just this morning you wanted to get out of here as soon as – " A man in his late 30s cut himself off upon seeing me. "Oh, hi!" he smiled. "You must be the Bella, Marc and Ives won't shut up about."

I blushed under his gaze. "Thanks," I smiled shyly.

"Bella means beautiful in Italian, you know," he added. I shared a look with Landon and laughed.

"Yeah, I know," I chuckled.

"The name fits her quite well, eh?" Ives said with a mouth full of food.

"Eat with your mouth closed, you disgusting pig," Rhia snapped, grimacing at him.

"It sure does," their dad grinned, "Oh, and my name's Adrien."

"It's nice to meet you," I smiled, "You have a lovely home."

"Really?" Adrien beamed, "I decorated it myself."

I probably had a look of shock on my face because Rayne quickly explained.

"Our parents are kind of backwards, Bella. I suppose you could call my dad the housewife and Cassandra the hardworking doctor," she informed.

"We just get weirder and weirder," Patrick muttered as he passed by me.

"Hey, Bella?" Daniel called out. I turned to look at him. "Just keep what Patrick said in mind. You haven't heard or see the worse," he winked.

_Oh God, what did I just get myself into?_

* * *

><p>"BABY, BABY, BABY, OHHH!" Ives sand, rather badly might I add.<p>

After eating dinner with the family, Ives insisted that we all play Singstar. We all regretted agreeing to his suggestion when he began singi – wait, it's not even singing anymore. It's more like a whale wailing in pain.

"You sound like a dying hyena," Rhia groaned, trying to cover her ears.

"Just shut up already!" Daniel pleaded.

Ives huffed and threw the microphone onto their fluffy rug. "You're just jealous of my awesome singing voice," he said, sticking his tongue out.

Before any of us could say anything, Adrien rushed into the living room shouting, "Who died?" The look on Ives' face was priceless. He huffed and stomped his way up the stairs. We all burst out laughing. Adrien, however, honestly didn't know what was going on. "What did I say?"

"Ives was just singing, Dad," Rayne chuckled.

"_Oh_, that's what that God awful noise was. False alarm then," he said with a bit of British accent before going to the kitchen.

"What did I tell you?" Patrick teased as he toyed with his camera.

"That was by far the weirdest thing yet." I admitted.

Landon groaned. "Just wait until you see him – "

Rhia hushed him and an evil grin found its way onto her lips. "Let her find out for herself," she said.

"Oh, you mean when he – "

"Yes, _that_," Rhia snapped, cutting Marc off.

"Dude, he looks like a freaking drowning cat when he does that," Daniel shivered at the memory.

"At least it's not as bad as the time he – "

"_Oh God_, don't even remind me," Landon groaned as he cut off Rayne.

"What?" I asked, confusion etched all over my face. Rhia smirked and stood up, walking towards the stairs.

"You'll have to stick around to find out," Rhia said over her shoulder. Suddenly, she turned around and gave me a cynical smirk. "_If_ you stick around."

When she was out of sight, I turned to the rest of the family, whom were all rolling their eyes.

"Does she not like me?" I asked, "What the hell did I do to her?"

"She's always like that with new people. Don't worry about it." Rayne assured.

Marc nodded his head. "Yeah, she just needs to know if you're trustworthy enough to hang out with us," he added.

"Why would I need to be trustworthy – "

"MARC!" everyone shouted.

"Go to your room," Daniel ordered through clenched teeth.

Marc gave them a look but followed the order.

"She has trust issues," Landon explained, "Yeah, yeah. She has trust issues."

"If you're sure…"

"We're sure," Patrick quickly said.

"Hey, what time is it?" I asked, dropping the subject.

"Almost eight, why?" Rayne asked.

"Eight?" I shrieked, "Oh crap, my dad is gonna kill me! I haven't even called him yet!"

"Bella, calm down. It's okay," Landon tried to soothe. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths.

"Sorry, guys, but I've gotta go," I announced. They all nodded their heads.

"I'll lead you out," Landon offered. I nodded.

"Bye, Bella!" they shouted as I walked out. I think that I even heard Marc and Ives in there somewhere.

"Bye!" I shouted back.

Landon and I walked to my truck with a comfortable silence between us. When we reached the truck, Landon broke the silence by saying, "You sure are good with weird."

I stiffened for a moment, recalling a time when someone else had also said the same thing to me. "Are you okay?" Landon asked, breaking me out of my stupor.

"Oh, yeah. It's just that someone's said that to me before. I guess I had a de ja vu moment," I laughed uneasily. He nodded and dropped the subject. I was about to get into my car when Landon grabbed a hold of my arm.

"Hey, umm, I've heard rumors about you and a family called the Cullens," he said nervously. I flinched at the mention of _them_. "I also heard Lauren say something about an Edward. I don't mean to pry or anything but I guess I just wanted to hear the truth from the source."

"They're a bit of a sore subject," I stammered, biting my lips.

"_Oh_, I'm sorry," he apologized, his eyes smoldering.

I gave him a small smile. "It's okay," I replied, "But if you really want to know, I guess you'll just have to stick around."

He gave me a heart-stopping grin. "I guess I will."

**I honestly freaking love Marc and Rhia's character. Did you? Or if not them, who's your favorite so far?**

**Please don't be shy! Tell me what you think :D **

**Don't forget to REVIEW!**


	3. Bet On It

**Every single one of you guys ROCK! Thank you for the support I've received already, even if it's still only the third chapter. You guys are the best!**

**This has nothing to do with anything, but I kinda wanted to explain SOME of the things that will be in store for this story. So basically, I wanted to establish a good relationship with Bella and Charlie with this story. I know that I haven't exactly done the best to show that in any of my stories. For example, Charlie just kind of disappeared in I'm in Love with a Rockstar and Another Chance. I've worked really hard to change that in this story. He's going to be pretty big and dominant. Also, I wanted Bella to have more interaction with the kids at her school. Hence, the whole Lauren thing :D But I'm sure you guys have been amused by their petty fights :) Another thing, is that Landon (Yes, Landon! Sheesh guys, as if that wasn't obvious enough) and Bella's relationship WILL take some time to grow. It's not going to be a week thing (like ILR) or a day thing (like Another Chance, New Found Love, or My Heart). So, you guys don't have to worry about THAT moving too fast.**

**But I will warn you again, the first 10 or so chapters will have LOTS OF TIME JUMPS.**

**Well, enough of me talking :)**

**Without any further adieu, here is chapter 3!**

Chapter 3: Bet On It

**Bella POV**

It's been a month since the Fiores and Rouxs moved to Forks. It's the week before winter break and Ives is dead set on getting me to sleep over at the house. Rayne is also doing some major persuading. Patrick, surprisingly enough, also wants me to sleepover. I have no idea what Ives meant by saying that Patrick is a loner. He seems sociable enough to me.

Rhia and I have finally gotten along, but the conversation we had wasn't necessarily a pleasant one.

"_Look, I don't want you here. It's better if you just leave my family alone," Rhia hissed at me while we were alone in the family's backyard. _

"_I don't understand what your problem is with me. What did I do to you?" I snapped at her, not really caring if I was being rude. She's been nothing but a complete snob to me and I just had about enough._

"_My family is not one that you can mess with, okay? You don't get the right to just use us as some replacement for that other family that you lost. The Cullens, isn't it?" she spat at me harshly._

_I clenched my hands into fists. How dare she question my friendship with her family? I'm not using them as a replacement. In fact, up until she brought it up, I haven't thought about the Cullens in a long while._

"_I'm not using your family as a replacement!" I shouted at her._

"_Well, I hate how they all like you so much. Who are you, anyway? Patrick actually likes you and we're talking about Patrick here. Patrick! And Marc just totally thinks that you're __so__ pretty," she grumbled bitterly._

_It took me a few seconds to get it, but I finally understood what her real concern is._

"_You like Marc, don't you?" I asked with a teasing tone._

_I notice her shoulders stiffen. She whipped her head away from my direction and stood up._

"_I do not know what you are talking about," she said in a thick French accent before walking away._

"_Wait – " I tried to call out to her but she had already gone._

_I couldn't help the grin that made its way to my face. Ives found me with the very same grin when he walked to me._

"_What are you smiling about?" he asked. I laughed and just walked away. He stood up and ran after me. "Wait! I really wanna know!"_

Ever since our conversation, Rhia and I have come to a silent understanding that I'm no one to be jealous about. She never truly admitted that she likes Marc but I can just tell. Her attitude towards him proves enough for me than her actual words. Honestly, I think it's very cute, not that I would actually tell Rhia. She would strangle me and I don't doubt that thought one bit.

"Come on, Bella," Ives whined.

"Yeah, please!" Rayne begged on her knees as she grabbed onto my legs.

"Please, Bella, please!" Patrick also pleaded.

I groaned and sighed in exasperation. The three of them were giving me full on pouts and puppy dog eyes.

"Dammit! Fine! Just don't expect me to have fun," I mumbled.

"Yay!" the three of them exclaimed. I groaned at their obvious excitement. _This isn't going to be fun._

"You'll finally meet Cassandra," Landon laughed at my expense.

"Yeah, about time too. It's been a month since you've known us and you still haven't met her," Daniel agreed.

Cassandra is their mom and I learned that she's the doctor that replaced Carlisle. Ever since he left, the hospital has been hectic. Cassandra has been working overtime during this past month, which is why I still haven't gotten around to meeting her.

"She'll like me, right?" I asked albeit nervously.

"Everyone likes you, Bella," Ives grinned. I rolled my eyes and playfully punched him on the arm.

"Yeah, come on. Even Patrick likes you and that's crazy enough as it is," Landon joked.

Patrick huffed and crossed his arms. "What is that supposed to mean? Just because you dub me as the loner of the family, it doesn't mean that I actually am one," he scowled. "I have friends, you know."

Ives fake gasped. "You do?" he asked as if it was the most shocking thing in the world.

"Fuck you, Ives!" Patrick shouted, stomping away.

"No thanks! I don't swing that way," Ives teased, laughing at Patrick. I laughed at their display. I may have not admitted it to the family just yet, but they've grown on me.

"Alright, leave him alone," I chuckled, softly pushing him aside. "He's sorry, Pat!" I tried to shout after him.

"No, I'm not!" Ives argued. Patrick just continued to walk away until he sat down at another group's table. Ives eyes widened. "He actually has friends?"

The rest of us laughed and left Ives to his amazing discovery.

"So, what are we supposed to do at the sleepover?" I asked Rayne, biting into my apple.

"Typical girl stuff," Rayne shrugged.

"But… why?" I whined.

"What do you mean, why? I'm a girl and you're a girl – Wait, you _are_ a girl, right?" she asked with fake concern. I scowled and she laughed.

"No… I'm not," I replied sarcastically.

"You're not?" Ives shrieked.

"Shut up, Ives," I groaned, "Go back to your discovery about Patrick."

"Wait! Just let me get this straight. So you _are_ a girl…" he said slowly.

"Yes! Dammit, do I look like a guy to you?" I scowled.

"Well…"

"Ives!" I shouted.

He laughed and playfully nudged me on the side. "Of course, you don't, but your sense of style… sucks," he chuckled.

"I'm comfortable enough," I huffed.

"Whatever you say," he sang.

I turned away from him, signaling the end of our discussion. Rayne and Daniel were watching us with amusement clear on their faces while Landon had a scowl on his.

"You fight like an old married couple," Daniel chuckled.

"I am not old!" Ives resented, standing up with appall.

"Well…" I started, mocking his earlier words.

"You're older than me!" he shouted.

"By like, a year!" I shouted back. We both huffed and turned away from each other.

"I hate you," he muttered.

"The feeling is mutual," I said.

Rayne and Daniel burst out laughing. Landon, however, stood up and walked away from us. The four of us watched his back. I had a questioning look on my face, wondering what was up with him.

"What's his problem?" Ives asked.

Rayne gave him a wink. "He's just being emo," she grinned.

"Is he having problems with his girlfriend or something?" I asked.

"Why?" Daniel teased, "Are you concerned?"

"_Ohhh,_" Ives sang, "_Someone's concerned._"

"Screw you, guys," I stood up and walked away.

"At least you didn't deny it!" Rayne shouted after me.

I groaned.

* * *

><p>After school, I went straight home to ask Charlie for permission.<p>

"Dad?" I asked as I entered the house.

"I'm in the kitchen," he informed, his voice slightly faint.

Charlie doesn't say anything but I know that he's glad that I've gotten better. I hardly ever have my nightmares anymore and my skin has gotten healthier. I managed to get rid of the black bags under my eyes and gain some weight back. I remember being so shocked the first time I saw myself look like that in the mirror.

I also haven't told my dad anything, but I did take what he told me that night to heart. I gave it a lot of thought and realized that he was right. It doesn't mean that I still don't hurt over _them_. It just means that I don't allow myself wallow in misery anymore.

"Hey," I greeted as I entered the kitchen.

"What's up, kid?" he asked from the table.

"Well, my friends want me to sleepover at their house for winter break," I replied nervously.

"Friends?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, Dad. I have friends," I said sarcastically. I couldn't help the small smile that graced upon my lips as I realized that I had just repeated what Patrick had said earlier.

"How long?" he asked.

"They actually want me for the entire break, but I only agreed for the last two weeks of vacation," I told him.

"As long as you're with me for Christmas," he smiled. I laughed and gave him a hug.

"Thanks, Dad," I thanked. "I know I've never told you, but I really appreciate you being there for me," I said sincerely.

"I'll always be there for you. Know that," he replied.

"I know. Thanks," I repeated.

He laughed and playfully pushed me away. "Okay, I think we've had enough," he joked.

"Alright, Mr. Manly," I laughed as I walked up my stairs.

* * *

><p>"Good news, everybody!" I shouted as I entered their house, "You have me for two weeks," I announced.<p>

"Hell yeah!" Ives grinned, sliding down their stair railing.

"_Great_," Rhia muttered.

"You know you love me, Rhia," I smiled cheekily. She gave me a fake smile and then scowled.

"No," she said shortly before turning her back on me. I made a face at her retreating back.

"I finally get to have some girl bonding time!" Rayne exclaimed.

"Hey, Bella, you should totally go photographing with me."

"I need to teach you how to play football."

"We totally need to go people watching."

"We have to go shopping."

"Let's eat some ice cream!"

I laughed and said, "Calm down, guys. You make me feel so loved."

"Don't forget to cook with me too," Adrien added, his head popping out from the kitchen. I chuckled and nodded eagerly.

"So when are you going to sleep over?" Patrick asked.

"The last two weeks of vacation," I answered.

"But that's so late," Ives whined.

"I have to be at home for Christmas," I explained.

"So you aren't coming to the party?" Daniel asked.

"I am, but it's on Christmas Eve, right?"

"Yeah, but – "

"Well, after the party, I'll have to go back home," I interrupted, "My dad wants me to be with him for Christmas."

They all gave me crestfallen faces.

"But…" Marc pouted up at me.

"I'll still technically be here," I reminded them, "You know, with me visiting every single day and all."

"That's true…" Ives said, pondering over the statement.

"Okay, _fine_," Rayne groaned.

I looked at each of the family members and noticed that Landon was missing.

"Hey, guys? Where's Landon at?" I asked.

Ives looked around and a questioning look came upon his face. "Yeah, where is he?" he asked with just as much confusion. Everyone else looked just as lost. It seemed that no one even noticed that he was gone.

"Pretty boy is brooding over something," Rhia informed with indifference.

"Over what?" Rayne asked with a worried expression.

"I don't know," Rhia snapped.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"That one park with some gazebo," Rhia answered.

"I know where that is," I told them.

"Do you want me to take you?" Daniel asked.

"Uh, no. I'm good. It's close from here anyways," I told him. "Who else is coming?" I asked the group.

Everyone gave me terrified expressions and backed off. "You don't know Landon like we do, Bella. When he's brooding over something, he'll blow off steam on whoever is closest to him," Patrick said, shaking his head.

"That's why we usually leave him alone," Rayne added.

"If none of you will go, then I will," I huffed and began walking out.

"Bella!" Ives called after me. I sighed in relief, thinking that he was gonna come with me. "If you die, can I have your ugly truck?" he grinned cheekily.

I scowled and shoved him in the chest. "No, Ives," I rolled me eyes. "And it's not ugly. It's _vintage_," I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Sure it is." I thumped him on the chest before walking away.

"Good luck!" the rest of the family shouted from the places inside the house.

_Scaredy-cats_, I grumbled in my head.

I started walking towards the park. It's a good few blocks down the Fiores and Rouxs house but it shouldn't take very long to get there. Before I knew it, I was already standing in front of the park.

I eyed the expanse of the park but couldn't see any sign of Landon's figure. I made my way into the park and continued to look for Landon. I saw a small movement from the corner of my eye. I turned to see Landon inside the gazebo.

I walked behind the gazebo slowly, trying not to make any noise. I could faintly hear the soft strums of a guitar that Landon must be playing.

"_I'm falling apart_

_I'm barley breathing_

_With a broken heart_

_That's still beating,"_ Landon's voice rang through my ear.

I suddenly stopped walking and closed my eyes. I slowly clenched my hands into fists. My heart began to break for him and also for myself. I held my breath and waited for him to sing some more, but for some reason, he just stopped.

With my eyes still closed, I had lifted my foot to take a step but Landon began singing again. But this time, his voice was much harsher and angrier.

"_I'm gonna break your little heart_

_Watch you take the fall_

_Laughing all the way to the hospital_

_'Cause there's nothing surgery can do_

_When I break your little heart in two_

_I'm gonna break your little heart in two_," he growled out.

My eyes snapped open and I stared blankly at Landon's back. _What the hell?_

"Who's out there?" he suddenly shouted. I stiffened for a moment and took a deep breath. I cautiously started walking towards him.

"It's me," I said softly.

His head whipped towards me in surprise. "What are you – "

"You were missing and I was… worried," I replied, biting my lip. I silently sat next to him and stared out in front of me. He sighed and set his guitar aside. He mimicked my stance, his elbows resting on his thighs.

"She cheated on me," he muttered harshly, his hands clenching and opening.

"What happened?" I asked curiously.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I called her this morning to talk to her, you know? She answers all irritated. I realized that I forgot to tell her that I changed my number, so she had no idea who I was. I was about to tell her that it was me, then all of a sudden this random ass guy calls her back to bed," he growled out, grabbing a hold of the bench we were sitting on.

"Maybe it was just a friend?" I offered, trying to look at the situation in every aspect.

He lot out a harsh laugh and gave me a sarcastic smile. "See, that's what I thought too, but when I was just about to ask her who the hell the guy was, she goes ahead and practically tells me to fuck off because her _boyfriend _is waiting for her," he spat out.

My mouth ran dry. I didn't know what to say to him. "I'm..." I started out, but I trailed off. I flashed back to my own time of misery, when everyone kept telling me that they were sorry or that I should just get over it. I didn't want their pity or their indifferent advices.

"What? You're sorry?" he snapped, his eyes blazing with anger.

I bit my lip and shook my head 'no.' "It just... sucks," I finally said. He gave me a bemused look before laughing. "What?" I asked with confusion.

"You know what? You're right. It does suck," he chuckled humorlessly.

"What? It does. The girl cheated on you and worse she didn't even recognize your voice. If she really cared enough - which I'm not saying that she didn't - she should have known that it was you the moment you spoke," I pointed out. "I mean, do you love her?"

It took him a while to answer my question. A questioning look came upon his face and then he just stared at me. "No, but I thought I did. She was the first one to say 'I love you.' I guess I had just said it to her because I felt like I had to," he answered.

"So... what are you gonna do now?" I asked.

At this question, he gave me a grin. "I'm gonna break her little heart."

I chuckled. "Like the song?" I joked. "You're so pun-ny. Ha, get it?" I playfully nudged his side.

He laughed and ruffled my hair. "I get it," he smiled, "Thank you, by the way."

"No problem," I admitted, "It takes one to know one, right?"

He looked at me with confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.

I bit my lip. "I mean, when I got my heart broken, everyone kept saying that they were sorry or that I should just get over it. It's not as easy as they think and I hated that. That's the reason why I didn't say 'I'm sorry' to you. I knew you would hate it too," I explained, "All I wanted was for someone to understand what I was going through."

He nodded at my answer but then he looked at me seriously. "What happened exactly anyways?"

I sighed. _I guess I should tell him. After all, he just pretty much broke down in front of me._

"Long story short, he practically called me worthless and ugly. He said that he and his family were getting annoyed of me and that they just wanted me gone. Also, I don't know if it was just for kicks, but he brought me into the forest to break up with me. When he left, I tried to follow him and got lost. I tripped and couldn't stand up. It was really cold and I passed out, so I nearly died of hypothermia. Luckily, they found me just in time. To top it all off, I found out that he and his family had left town the next morning," I told him, recalling the events. I looked up at him and observed his reaction. He had a bit of anger and fire in his eyes.

"That's harsh," was all he said in return. _He probably just doesn't know what to say._

"I know, right?" I chuckled harshly.

"And this is..." he trailed off.

"Edward Cullen and his family," I finished, "But I'm getting over it. It's not something that I think about nowadays. It still bothers me, but not as much."

"I'm glad," he smiled.

"Me too," I agreed. I coughed and shifted so that I was facing him.

"What?" he asked.

I smiled. "Nothing. It's just nice to finally talk about it after keeping it in for so long. I'm kind of happy that it was you I talked to," I admitted.

"I'm happy you were the one who found me too," he also admitted. I beamed at him.

"We just had a heart to heart talk," I pointed out in a teasing matter. He scowled.

"You better not tell - "

"But who would I tell?" I asked innocently. I coughed and tried to imitate Lauren's voice, "OMG! Like, totally! You would not believe that Landon, our very own Hot Badboy, just broke down in front of me. It was kind of pathetic but he was still, like, hot."

He scowled while I laughed. Suddenly, he started tickling my sides with a grin. "So... you think I'm hot?" he teased. I squealed as he poked a very ticklish spot on my stomach.

"I was imitating Lauren!" I defended with a laugh.

"Sure you were," he laughed.

"I was!"

He finally stopped tickling me to lean back against the bench. He had a content smile plastered onto his face. "Thanks again, Bella. I mean it. I feel a lot better," he thanked again. I gave him a smile.

"No problem," I repeated, "Whenever you need me, I'll be there."

"Promise?" he asked with hopefulness clear in his eyes.

"I promise," I said, nodding. He suddenly looked hesitant. "What?" He leaned towards me and kissed my cheek. A blush crept towards my cheek. "What was that for?"

He shrugged but kept the smile on his lips. I turned my head to hide the smile that was slowly getting larger on my face.

_This is not going to end well._

* * *

><p>"You're still alive!" Ives exclaimed as Landon and I walked through the front door.<p>

I scowled at him. "Yeah, no thanks to you," I muttered, "Stupid boy, asking for my truck."

"I heard that!" he shouted, mocking appall.

"You were meant to," I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"He's rubbing off on you," Patrick groaned.

"No! Don't let that happen," Marc pleaded.

"I suggest that you stop hanging around him," Daniel agreed. Rayne just rolled her eyes.

"Fuck off!" Ives grumbled. I laughed.

"I guess everything turned out well," Rayne commented with a smile.

"We talked," Landon shrugged.

I tried to copy Landon's coolness. "_Yeah_, we talked," I repeated.

Rayne grinned. "_Uh huh_," she beamed at us suspiciously.

"Oh, _great_. She's really going to be sticking around, isn't she?" Rhia whined.

I smiled, showing off my teeth just to spite her.

"You can bet on it."

**I love me some Bella and Ives interaction. Don't you? Landon and Bella are alright... but Ives is where it's at! LOL xD**

**Let's play a game, shall we? Just to see who could actually get it right, who do you think said which sentence?**

"Hey, Bella, you should totally go photographing with me."

"I need to teach you how to play football."

"We totally need to go people watching."

"We have to go shopping."

"Let's eat some ice cream!

**Some of them are pretty obvious :D If you get it right, I shall dedicate an outtake for you. Is that a deal?**

**Also, the songs used were Broken by Lifehouse and Break Your Little Heart by All Time Low, respectively.**

**Thanks for the support again! Don't forget to leave me some LOVE!**

**Love = REVIEWS**


	4. My Girl

**A lot of you guys are wondering just what exactly the Fiores are. I can't really disclose anything right now. If you want to know, you'll just have to stay tuned :)**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: My Girl

**Bella POV**

Before I knew it, Christmas Eve had already arrived. My dad went to a party at his friend Billy's house, while I went to the Fiores. Rayne was the one who decided that she wanted to throw a party inviting everyone at school. I told her that it might not be the best idea, but she disagreed.

"Now, Bella. You need to look good, no, _great_, tonight," she clapped happily,

"Why? It's not like I'm trying to impress anyone," I grumbled. She gave me a pointed look.

"You can never be too sure," she 'tisked, before getting started on me. She gave me a natural make-up look and simply brushed my hair. "I love you hair, Bella. Seriously, it has like the right amount of volume and luster," she gushed. I laughed at her.

"_Geez, Bella. Don't you ever brush your hair? It look like a rat's nest and it's so dry," Alice commented, wrinkling her nose in disgust._

I frowned at the memory but shook it out of my head.

"Thanks," I said genuinely.

"No problem," she smiled. "Anyways, go put this on," she ordered, handing me a black and white dress. Inside the bathroom, I inspected the dress. The top half of it had a solid black and white floral lace striped design while the bottom half was just solid black. I honestly liked it. I put it on and glanced at myself in the mirror. My entire look turned out looking just the right amount of cute and casual, just the way I liked it. I walked out and twirled for Rayne. She squealed and clapped her hands.

"It looks perfect!" she exclaimed. I laughed and hugged her.

"It does," I agreed, "Thank you."

"I'm pretty awesome, aren't I?" she joked. I chuckled while she pushed me. "Now, go. It's time for me to get ready," she said.

"I'll see you downstairs," I laughed as I made my way out of her room. I skipped down the halls and knocked on Ives' door. "_Ives_," I sang.

"Yes? Bella, darling," he played along, opening the door. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he took a look at my outfit. I grinned widely.

"You like?" I teased, twirling for him.

He grabbed one of my hands and twirled me around again. I laughed. "Like? No, Bella. I _love_ it," he complimented, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. I playfully shoved him away.

"No. Now go get dressed," I ordered.

"But - " I cut off his protest by pushing him into his room and closing the door. I finally made my way down the stairs. At the bottom, I was met with a scowling Patrick.

"What's wrong? You should be smiling. It's Christmas time!" I scolded.

He shook his head. "How can I be happy when I'm wearing green? There's a reason why I try to avoid wearing green, Bella. Do you have any idea how many Irish jokes Ives is going to give me tonight?" he ranted.

"Why don't you just change?" I asked.

"I can't. Rayne threatened me," he answered.

"I see," I replied, understanding his situation.

"You look great, by the way," he added. I smiled.

"Thank you," I grinned before walking off.

"Bella!" Marc exclaimed as I walked into the kitchen.

"What's up, Little Munchkin?" I laughed, giving him a hug.

"You look beautiful, Bella," Adrien smiled warmly.

"Hey, Adrien," I greeted. "How's the food going?"

"I'm helping him!" Marc piped up eagerly. I gave Adrien a look.

"Has he been – "

"Yeah, he's had about five ice cream cones up to this point," he answered my unfinished question.

I laughed. "Oh, Marc," I grinned. He gave me a shrug and proceeded to go get another ice cream cone from the freezer.

"Will Cassandra be here tonight?" I asked Adrien.

"Hopefully," he sighed, "But she promised that she'll at least try to come. That's more than we can ask for." I nodded, hearing the sadness in his voice.

"Wait, where's Rhia?" I asked, looking for her. She's usually _always_ around Marc or Adrien.

"RHIA!" a loud yell echoed throughout the house. I could see Adrien trying to hide a laugh.

"There she is," he announced as Rhia rounded the corner, looking as devious as ever. Daniel was angrily chasing her, soaked from head to toe. "I am going to kick your sorry, little _derriere_," he growled.

Rhia laughed as she ran away from him. "If you can catch me," she challenged as the two of them sped out of sight. I turned to Adrien.

"Is that normal?" I asked. He nodded his head, not even bothering to comment on it. I shook my head. "Well, I'm going to make sure that all of the decorations are put up, okay?" I told Adrien as I walked out of the kitchen.

"Alright!" Adrien voiced out.

I walked into the loft and saw a box of decorations sitting by the Christmas tree. I shook my head at Ives' forgetfulness. He was supposed to be in charge of the decorations for the tree. I sighed and started decorating the tree. It took a while but I managed to finish just in time. The last piece I needed to add was the star. I was already stretching as far as I could on the ladder I was on. Without notice, one of my feet slipped and I fell backwards. I waited for the impact but it never came. Once again, I landed on two very warm arms.

I looked up and met Landon's amused eyes.

"Again?" he joked.

"In my defense, I fell backwards this time," I managed to get out. He laughed and set me on my feet. I smoothed down my dress and finally got a good look at him. For once, he was wearing something that wasn't black. He wore a green and red plaid shirt and jeans that most likely hung snugly on his hips.

I looked at his face and realized that he was also giving me a look over.

"I like the look," he commented huskily. I blushed and shuffled my feet awkwardly.

"I like the nice guy look too," I said, biting my lip shyly. He smiled and began to lean into me. Then...

_FLASH!_

Landon and I turned to see Patrick smiling sheepishly at us. "Thanks for the awesome picture, you guys! It's just what I needed," he grinned before disappearing from our sights.

"PATRICK!"

* * *

><p>Music blasted from every corner of the house and everyone was either dancing or swaying to the beat of it. As I tried to get through the crowd, I bumped into sometime. I looked up and smiled to see that it was Angela.<p>

"Angela! Hi," I greeted with a smile.

"Bella?" she asked with surprise. She looked me up and down and then smiled widely. "You look great!" she complimented.

"Thanks," I blushed, "You do too."

"Hey, is there anywhere we can talk?" Angela shouted over the loud music.

I nodded and grabbed her hand. I stood on my toes and looked for Ives. I spotted him dancing with a blonde girl.

"Yo, Ives!" I yelled. He turned and looked at me.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I'm gonna go up to your room, alright?" I said. He nodded and gave me a salute.

"Use protection!" he grinned.

"Idiot!" I laughed. I turned to Angela and saw her laughing at the exchange. "Come on," I chuckled. I dragged her through the crowd and led her to Ives' room. As I closed the door, the music quieted enough for Angel and I to talk in our normal voices. "So, what's up?" I asked her.

She took a seat on Ives' desk chair while I sat on his bed.

"I should be the one asking you that," she chuckled.

I smiled at her. "I'm good. Really. Things have changed for the better," I admitted.

"Yeah, I noticed. When I said you look great, I meant it in more ways than just one. You don't look like a... well, a zombie anymore," she said a bit nervously.

"It's alright if you refer to those days, Angela," I assured her with a small smile, "I mean, I have to admit that I'm ashamed of how I was before, but the way I see it, I needed to go through that to get better."

"You do look better," she agreed, "But I'm sure that this family also had a big impact on you."

I nodded. "They did. I mean, they still do. I'm not completely okay yet, but I'm getting there and they're helping me a lot," I expounded on the subject.

A slow smile began to form on Angela's lips. "So, you and Ives... Are you a thing?" she asked, grinning. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Eww! No! That's gross," I groaned, disgusted at the mere notion of Ives and I as a thing. Angela laughed at my expense.

"What are you two then?" she asked curiously, "You two seem awfully close."

"He's like the brother I've never wanted," I joked. Angela nodded, obviously pleased with my answer.

"Well, enough about me. What's going on with you and Ben?" I asked teasingly.

She blushed and we fell into an easy conversation.

* * *

><p>Angela and I parted ways a little while ago. It was nice catching up with her. I didn't even realize that I haven't talked to her in over a month.<p>

The party has yet to reach its peak. A lot more people have arrived since Angela and I left the party to talk. I could see familiar faces from Forks High in the house dancing to the music. I scanned the crowds and saw four of the eldest Fiore and Roux kids having fun on the own. Once again, the one person missing was Landon.

I began my search for him. I've already searched every part of the house but I couldn't find him. I was on the second floor of the house and passed the lounge area balcony when I heard talking from behind it. I took a step back and began to listen.

"I can't believe that you made me fly all the way from Britain just to break up with me!" a high-pitched voice shrieked. I heard a growl and the kicking of a metal chair.

"So what? That's not even enough to make you pay for what you did to me! If you don't recall, _you_ were the one who cheated on me!" I heard Landon's unmistakable voice shout. My eyes widened at the realization of who was behind the balcony doors. I quickly made my way back down to the party, not wanting to eavesdrop any further.

I tried to involve myself into a group's conversation but my mind couldn't help but wander back to Landon and Lacey. I stared at the bottom of the stairs for quite a while. Finally, a girl - blonde, busty, leggy, and practically a man's wet dream - emerged from it, looking flustered and pissed off. She stormed off and slammed the front door behind her.

Landon walked down the stairs a few moments later. He looked up and met my gaze. Never taking his eyes off of me, he walked towards me.

"Do you want to go for a ride?" he asked almost pleadingly.

"Hold that thought," I held up a finger and then searched for Rayne. I saw her and shouted, "Rayne!"

"Yeah?" she asked, flustered from dancing.

"Landon's going to take me home, alright?" I told her.

"Already?" she whined, "It's still early."

"Rayne, it's almost midnight. I'll see you guys tomorrow. I promise," I told her.

She sighed. "Okay, fine," she finally agreed, "I'll tell the others."

"Thank you!" I smiled, giving her a hug. I walked back and found Landon leaning against the wall. I walked towards him and grabbed his hand. "Let's go," I said.

He nodded and allowed me to tug him along.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked. I shrugged.

"It doesn't matter."

We found his motorcycle inside their garage. He hopped on and waited for me to get on. It was a bit hard because I was wearing a dress, but I managed to swing my leg over the bike and jumped on it. I fit snugly behind Landon. He handed me a helmet after he put on his.

"Hang on," he ordered. I nodded as I put the helmet on.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and held on tight. He revved the engine and sped us out of the house. The cold wind blew past us. The roads were luckily clear of snow and it wasn't snowing like it was earlier.

I bit my lip at the feel of Landon's abs. He's not necessarily buff but he has just the right amount of muscles. _And oh, does he have nice abs!_ I shook my head at my obscene thoughts. _What the hell am I thinking?_

He probably drove us a few miles away from his house until he finally pulled over. He parked in front of a nicely decorated building. There was an arch that led to a pathway. On the arch was a sign that said _Forks' Art Museum._

"A museum?" I asked him incredulously. He nodded and got off, also helping me get down.

"Do you mind?" he asked. I shook my head 'no.'

"I'm just surprised," I admitted. He let out a small laugh.

"I don't look artistic, huh?" he joked. He held out a hand for me, which I willingly took.

"No," I chuckled, "But won't they be closed? I mean, it _is_ Christmas Eve."

"Nah," he answered, "They have a special event tonight that's free to the public."

"Okay, then," I smiled. He returned the smile and pulled me along, never taking his hand away from my own. Just like Ives and the rest of the family, he had a very warm touch. It was a nice change from the cold I was very much used to.

As we walked in, I marveled at the huge Christmas tree that stood before us. It must have been about twenty feet tall and it reached the ceiling of the building. Landon dragged me along the Christmas exhibit, allowing me to linger on the pieces that I liked the most.

"This is my favorite," Landon told me, showing me one of the paintings. It was a painting of a boy and girl who looked completely opposite of each other. The boy was dressed in all black while the girl wore Christmas colors. The girl had her arms around the boy's neck and the boy had his hands on the girl's waist. They were under a doorframe that had mistletoe on top of it and looked like they were just about to kiss each other.

"It looks beautiful," I gushed, observing the facial features of the characters.

"Yeah. They're kind of like us. Don't you think so?" he asked oh-so-subtly. I bit my lip shyly but nodded. I tried to avert my eyes from him, but my actions caused me to catch a glimpse of a superimposed picture that looked oddly familiar. My eyes widened slowly.

"Speaking of us," I tugged on Landon's hands and dragged him towards the enlarged photograph.

His jaw dropped at the sight of it. "Is that – "

"_Oh, yeah_," I interrupted. I quickly pulled my phone out and dialed Patrick's number.

"_Hello?_" he answered, making a crunching noise, as he was most likely biting into one of Adrien's cookies.

"Patrick," I hissed into the phone, "You little shit!"

"_What did I do?_" he asked with confusion.

"Guess where I am right now? Just guess," I chuckled harshly.

"_At home?" he _offered, laughing nervously, "_Like you're supposed to be?"_

"No. I'm at the Forks' Art Museum and guess what I just found?" I growled.

"_Fuck_," I heard him mutter, "_Well it was nice talking to you. See you tomorrow!"_

"Don't you dare - " I was cut off by a steady beep. _The little shit hung up on me!_

I turned to look at Landon, only to see him admiring the photograph.

"Hey, you have to admit, though. It's a great picture of us," he commented, giving me a small smile.

I cocked my head and stared at the picture. "I guess," I shrugged, trying not to seem _too_ impressed with the photograph. I looked at the caption of the picture and grizzled at it. "_Accidents Happen?_" I nearly growled out, "That ass!"

Landon laughed at me. "Calm down, Bella," he said with small chuckles escaping his mouth. I gave me a sarcastic smile.

"Yeah, because it's totally okay for my face to be showcased in a - "

"Oh my God! Are you two the ones on the picture?" a voice squeaked, cutting me off. I turned to see a group of teenage girls gawking at us. I shuffled my feet awkwardly.

"Yeah, that's us," Landon grinned.

"You guys are so cute together!" another one of them gushed.

"Oh no, we're not - "

"I know, right?" Landon boasted, giving me a look that told me to play along. They let out a squeal of delight and nodded their heads in agreement.

"Look, honey. It's them!" an older woman exclaimed, pointing at Landon and me. At her exclamation, everyone in the museum finally noticed our presence.

My eyes widened and so did Landon's. "You wanna get out of here?" he asked quickly.

"Yes, please," I replied. We ran off while the people tried to call us back. When we reached his bike, we broke out laughing.

"Are you ready to go home?" Landon asked, bursts of laughter still escaping from his lips. I nodded and got on the motorcycle. When we arrived at my house, Landon insisted that he walk me to the door. "You never know who could be hiding in the bushes," he shrugged. I laughed.

"I had a great time," I told him as we reached my front door.

"I'm glad," he smiled. I looked down at my watch and saw that it was already past twelve.

"Merry Christmas, Landon," I greeted with a small smile as I leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. I lingered on his cheek a little bit longer than I should have but he didn't comment on it. He leaned down to do the same on my cheek.

"Merry Christmas to you too," he smiled warmly. He reached into his pocket and held out a small rectangular box.

"What's - "

"It's a charm bracelet," he answered, opening the box. I gasped at it. The charm was a small lock that had a 'B' in the middle of it. It was latched onto a thick silver chain. I looked up to look into Landon's eyes, questioning him.

"Landon, you didn't have to get me anything," I told him with slight surprise still in my voice.

"I know," he smiled, "I just... I wanted to give you something as sort of a thank you present."

"Thank you for what?"

"For helping me deal with Lacey," he answered. He reached for my hand and began to latch the bracelet onto my wrist. "And also for being a really good friend," he added, "Honestly, you're the only girl friend I have that I'm not dating or hooking up with." He gave me a teasing smirk.

I playfully thumped his chest. I began to touch the bracelet, marveling over it.

"I love it," I told him with a smile, "Thank you." He returned the smile. Suddenly, I remembered the gift that I had bought for him. "Can you wait out here for a sec?" I asked him. He nodded but looked confused.

I ran up to my room and grabbed the big box that lay by my bed. I had a bit of a struggle carrying it, but I managed to bring it down. Landon's eyes widened as I approached him.

"Did you carry that all by yourself?" he asked. "Without tripping?" he added snidely. I scowled at him.

"Shut up," I muttered, "I may have fallen once or twice." He laughed. "Anyways, this is my gift for you. So here," I said, shoving the box towards him, "I was gonna wrap it tomorrow, but since we're exchanging gifts tonight, I guess it doesn't matter anymore."

He opened the box while I was talking. Albeit, I was a bit nervous of what his reaction was going to be. "Bella..." he said slowly, eyeing the gift I had given him. I rubbed my arm unconsciously and bit my lip.

"Don't worry about the cost," I quickly said, answering his unasked question, "The guitar was actually really cheap and I did the design myself. I got someone to glaze it over so that the paper won't peel off."

I had bought him a simple acoustic guitar but I revamped it. Over the past few weeks, I've been subtly asking everyone in the family about Landon's favorite quotes, songs, bands, movies, and etc. I wrote them on different colored pieces of paper in a variety of fonts. I had even cut a few out from magazines. I paper mache'd them onto the guitar and then got someone to glaze them on.

"Do you like it?" I asked nervously. He set the guitar aside and then looked at me. Without notice, he tugged on me and flushed me to his body. His arms wrapped around my waist as he hugged me even tighter. I was tense at first but soon returned the hug.

"This is the best present I've ever gotten," he admitted as he pulled back.

"So... you like it?" He laughed but smiled at me warmly.

"I love it, Bella. I really do," he grinned. He picked up the guitar and twirled it in his hands. "_I brought a stick to a gun fight. Now, I'm stuck with my tongue tied_," he read off from the guitar. It was a quote from one of his favorite songs, which is _She (For Liz)_ by Parachute. He laughed wholeheartedly. "This is freaking awesome!" he exclaimed with a bright smile. I couldn't help the smile that graced itself upon my lips. Landon looked like a little kid inside a huge candy store. It greatly warmed my heart.

"Now you're making me feel like I bought you a crappy present," he groaned. I chuckled.

"No, I love your present. Besides, I'm not a material girl," I informed him.

"The only way I can accept this is if you promise not to buy me anything for my birthday," he conditioned.

"But - " He gave me a pointed look. I huffed and pouted but finally agreed, "Fine."

"That's my girl," he grinned, ruffling my hair. I froze at his statement.

"Your girl?" I joked. For the first time ever, I saw a flush of pink rise up on Landon's cheeks.

He coughed and was quick to change the subject. "Anyways, Merry Christmas again. Thanks for the present. I really love it," he said quickly.

"_Okay_," I sang. I leaned up to give him a kiss on one of his flushed cheek. "Merry Christmas. I love your gift too." He smiled as he strapped the guitar onto his back. He began to jog towards his bike. "Be safe!" I shouted after him.

"Will do!" he replied, giving me a salute. He revved up the bike's engine and sped out of sight.

I finally walked into the house and closed the door behind me. Once it was closed, I leaned on the door and closed my eyes, letting out a very deep breath. A cheesy grin formed on my lips and I began giggling like a little schoolgirl. My heart was fluttering crazily behind my chest and I felt like bursting into a happy song.

I smiled as I walked up the stairs, whistling.

"_My girl, we're talking 'bout my girl. My girl!_" I said, giggling.

* * *

><p>"You sure seem happy today," Charlie commented as I walked down the stairs.<p>

"I do?" I asked, trying to play innocent. Charlie chuckled.

"Honestly, Bella. You're literally glowing," he observed.

"You're delirious," I scoffed, trying to hide a grin. Charlie laughed.

"Whatever," he chuckled, "So, are you ready for our father-daughter bonding time?"

I smiled brightly. "Come on!" I exclaimed, dragging him out.

* * *

><p>Charlie and I went out for lunch and exchanged our gifts to each other. I bought him some new flannel plaid shirts, because his other one's were already too worn out. He had given me a fifty dollar iTunes gift card for my iPod. All in all, we had a pretty good time. We separated when he decided to go to Billy's again. I told him to say Merry Christmas to Billy and Jacob for me. After we separated, I went directly to the Fiores.<p>

"Bella! You're back!" Ives exclaimed, pulling me into a hug, once I entered the front door. I laughed and returned it.

"I brought presents," I announced.

"Presents!" Marc shouted as he bounded from the stairs. He tackled me into a hug, which I returned whole-heartedly. Rayne and Daniel emerged from the kitchen and also gave me hugs.

"I knew you would be back," Rayne joked. I chuckled.

"Because I told you I would," I teased. I turned to Daniel and we performed our secret handshake. "What's up, my home diggity dawg?" I joked, laughing.

"It's all cool, fool," he played along, ruffling my hair. I gave him a bright smile before turning to the real matter at hand.

"Patrick!" I shouted, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

"Crap," I heard him mutter. Patrick rounded the corner and had a nervous smile on his face. "Hi, Bella. How are you doing on this fine Christmas day?" he asked insincerely.

I gave him a blank look and spoke in a monotone voice, "Get that picture out of the museum and we'll be just fine." He let out a sigh of relief.

"Done," he announced. I gave him a weary glance.

"What did you do to it?" I asked suspiciously. He shrugged. "Patrick!"

"You'll find out," he said, waving off my warning.

"_Great_, more reason for her to stick around," Rhia's unmistakable voice grumbled.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I thought we've been over this," I told her.

She gave me a sarcastic smile. "I know. It's just fun bringing it up." I rolled my eyes and decided to just ignore her.

"Where's Adrien?" I asked, wondering why he hadn't come out to greet me yet.

"He went to go pick up Cassandra," Daniel answered.

"And Landon?"

Ives and Rayne grinned at me. "My, my, Bella. You've been mighty concerned about Landon these past couple of weeks," Ives teased. I groaned.

"Shut up, Ives," I grumbled, "So where is he?"

"Upstairs, playing some new guitar he got," Rayne shrugged. Marc nodded eagerly beside her.

"Yeah, he like totally loves that guitar!" he exclaimed. I couldn't help the smile that came upon my lips.

"That's nice," I commented, trying to act cool. "Anyways, I got the presents in the back of the truck – "

Marc and Ives running past me cut me off. I laughed. The others soon followed them.

"Thanks, Bella," Rayne smiled, before leaning into my ear to whisper, "Why don't you go check on him?" She gave a quick glance towards the staircase. I nodded, returning her smile. She grinned and made her way towards my truck as well.

I took the time to go up the stairs and walk to Landon's room. I was just about to knock when I heard his smooth yet raspy voice flow from behind the door.

"_Her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining._

_Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying,_" he sang beautifully.

I closed my eyes and swayed to the song. When he finally stopped, I decided to knock.

"Come in," he said softly. I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

"Hey," I greeted. He set the guitar aside and beckoned me to sit next to him. I ignored his request and jumped on his bed instead. "How was your night?" I asked, chuckling. He grinned and crawled over to where I was laying. He placed both of his hands and knees on either side of me, ultimately hovering over me.

"I had a great night's sleep," he answered, his minty breath fanning over my face, "And you?"

I bit my lip and replied, "Me too." I don't know if it was just me, but it seemed as though our faces were getting closer to each other. Our lips were only an inch apart now. I could have sworn that Landon would have kissed me if –

"Bella! I love your present!" Marc exclaimed, yanking Landon's bedroom door wide open. I blushed a deep red and Landon groaned. He rolled over and landed on his back next to me.

"You're welcome," I told Marc, slightly out of breath. He gave me two thumbs up and closed Landon's door, disappearing behind it. "Marc's really cute," I commented, trying to fill the tensed silence between Landon and me. He grunted his disagreement.

"Annoying is more like it," he huffed, getting out of the bed. It didn't go unnoticed by me when I saw his eyes quickly glance at my wrists. I unconsciously rubbed the wrist that had the charm bracelet around it. "You're wearing it," he said. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yeah," I smiled. "So... I heard that you really love that guitar," I started, pointing to the guitar I bought him. "Whoever got you that must be pretty damn awesome."

He laughed at my subtleness. "She's alright," he joked. I mock gasped and threw a pillow at him. Unfortunately, he caught it in time.

"You jerk! Take that back!"

He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay," he chuckled.

"Say it," I ordered. He grinned widely.

"She's pretty damn awesome," he reiterated with a smile.

"Damn right I am!"

**As you can tell from this chapter, things are finally going to start to fall in place for Landon and Bella's friendship/relationship. In a couple more chapters, the moment you are waiting for will finally arrive. Gahh, there's just so fucking cute that I could just die :D**

**The song used was Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars, if that wasn't obvious. And, also, don't forget to check out my new website teamjacobrulezfanfiction(.)weebly(.)com**

**It has all of the character pictures and descriptions, and you can also find how Landon's guitar looks like :)**

**And how'd you like the Bella and Patrick interaction in this? I absolutely **_**loved**_** it!**

**Please, please, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW and let me know what you think!**


	5. Complications

**My deepest apologies to you all. I'm sorry for being one day late in updating. See, I already had the chapter typed up to update yesterday, but I went to my first football game. WOOT! **

**I didn't get home until like 10 at night and by then I was exhausted. I went straight to sleep. Added to the fact that it was raining cats and dogs, it was like 40 degrees outside, and wind was blowing all over the fucking place, I'm surprised I didn't get sick. I was in that kind of weather for like 7 hours, because I watched both our Varsity and Junior Varsity game. Our JV team won 26-14 and our Varsity… Don't even get me started. We got fucking destroyed. And what sucks is that it was our Homecoming game. Yeah… Oh, well :D Thought I'd just share my first high school football game with, you guys. That's how close I am to you :)**

**Also, I just realized that I have ****not**** acknowledged the people you won the game from Chapter 3. I'm sorry for that too! Anyways, here were the winners:**

Happykitty95, Paul'sImprint1293, Writer In The Valley, PauchiTopia, Blueberrygirl1994, fanpire loves Jasper, Nyx's Pinky Girl, tHevoLtuRi'SdARkpRiNceSS, Truebloddwolfgirl, sharkloverlish, and DarkHairedAngelSince1995

**As you can probably tell, there are ****way**** too many winners, and I don't believe I could possibly write **_**that**_** many outtakes. So what I decided to do is pick the first three winners: **Happykitty95, Paul'sImprint1293, and Writer In The Valley, **and write them INDIVIDUAL outtakes. WHOO for you guys! And the rest of the winners will have one outtake dedicated for all of them. I hope that's fair :)**

**Enough of me rambling, enjoy your deserved chapter!**

Chapter 5: Complications

**Bella POV**

The time has finally come for me to sleepover at the Fiores. I have no idea what Patrick, Ives, and Rayne have in store for me and I'm not sure I even want to know. Only God knows what Rhia will do to me… and Landon... Don't even get me started with him. I'm not exactly sure where we stand and I'm too afraid to ask.

My truck's engine roared as I turned it off. At the sound of it, Ives immediately bounded out of the front door. I raised an eyebrow, questioning what he was wearing. He's wearing sweatpants, a pair of sneakers, a shirt that says 'Sexy Beast,' and a thin headband that wrapped around his forehead. He finally reached my door, looking flustered closer up.

"What. The. Hell?" I emphasized, trying not to laugh.

"Shut up," he muttered, "We're playing Wii Fit."

"We, as in..."

"Just me, okay?" he shouted, pouting. I couldn't help it anymore. Laughter escaped from my lips as I tilted my head back. However, Ives ruined my fun by saying, "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. There's a reason why you're here today, Bella."

I finally stopped laughing and gave him a horror-stricken look.

"Fuck no!" I yelled, "Get someone else to play with you!"

He grinned evilly. "Ah, but see, no one else is home. They left me home because someone needed to be here when you arrived," he contradicted, confirming my worst fear.

"Just say that they didn't want you to come," I teased. He scowled at me.

He opened my door and began to drag me out. "You know what? Go on. Tease me. It doesn't change the fact that you're still going to play with me," he said matter-of-factly.

My eyes widened. "NO!"

* * *

><p>"Twist your hips, Bella! Dammit! Shit! You're doing it wrong!" Ives complained, smacking his forehead with his palm.<p>

I grunted from exhaustion, beads of sweat forming on my forehead. Fuck, man. I am twisting my damn hips! This shitty game is just jacked up.

"Fuck you, Ives. I am twisting my hips!" I shouted at him, annoyed.

"No, you're not! You're just violently swaying your hips in different directions," he criticized. "Isn't that shit hurting you?"

I glared at him while playing the game. "I wouldn't even be doing this if you didn't force me to!"

Ives ignored me and continued to look at the screen. "Shit! Dude, it's going down! Come on, twist your hips, dammit! Twist your hips!" he yelled.

"What the fuck is going on here?" I heard Landon's distinct voice growl out as the front door slammed open. I stopped moving and froze on top of the Wii Fit. A deep blush began to form on my cheeks, adding to my already flustered look.

"Shit! Why'd you stop?" Ives whined. "Look at it! You lost!" He pointed to the TV as the 'You Lose' music began to play. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Wow," Rayne exaggerated, obviously trying to keep in her laughter. "Just _wow_..."

Patrick, on the other hand, didn't waste any time. He immediately began to take pictures.

"Patrick!" I shouted.

He, however, didn't bother to hide his laughter. "I'm sorry, Bella, but this shit has got to be recorded somehow. It's funny as hell!" he laughed loudly.

Daniel looked completely speechless. He opened and closed his mouth several times. Rhia was cackling with laughter and Marc simply looked like he wanted to play next.

"We thought that you two were having some hot sex," Daniel finally spoke, chuckling.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. "Shut up," I grumbled, my voice slightly muffled.

"Whew! Oh God, hahahaha!" Rhia laughed, wiping away some laughter tears out of her eyes.

"I'm glad to be of some entertainment to you," I scowled at her.

"You should be," she said, bubbles of laughter still erupting from her. "That totally made my day."

"I know that you and Ives get along," Rayne chuckled, "but _damn_. This takes it to a whole other level."

"_Twist you hips, Bella! Twist your hips!_" Patrick mocked, laughing.

"I do not sound like that!" Ives defended. Patrick merely snickered.

I let out another groan and stepped off of the Wii Fit. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna walk away now," I muttered, heading towards the guest room. I must have looked like a very ripe red tomato.

"Bella!" Marc called after me, "Do you want some ice cream? It'll help you cool down. You look a little red."

I nearly growled when I slammed the bedroom door closed.

"_Twist your hips!_" Daniel mocked.

"Will you let that go already?" I shouted, "It's been hours since that happened!"

"But it's _still_ funny," Patrick chuckled.

"You know what? Screw you guys. I'm gonna hang out with Landon, _someone _who's actually not making fun of me," I said, sticking out my tongue at them.

Rayne smirked. "That's because he's probably jealous," she said.

"Of Ives?" I scoffed, "Ives is… umm… _Ives_."

At this statement, the three of them burst our laughing.

"That hurt, Bella," Ives pouted, "That really hurt."

I shook my head and began to walk away.

"Fine, be that way!" Daniel laughed loudly. I flipped him the bird over my shoulder before disappearing up the stairs.

I knocked on Landon's door and waited for him to open the door.

"Umm… hi?" he said awkwardly, seeing me on the other side of the door.

"Hey," I said shortly before entering his room uninvited. I sat on his bed and sighed.

"What brings you here?" he asked jokingly. I leaned back down to lay on his bed.

"They won't shut up about the twist your hips thing," I grumbled, covering my face with a pillow. I'm turning red again at the thought of it.

Landon let out a small chuckle. "You have to admit though. It did sound really wrong," he said.

I groaned into the pillow. "I know! And that's what makes it worse!" I stopped complaining for a moment and looked up to stare at him. "But now that I think about it, you seemed a bit mad at first," I observed, staring at his reaction. He let out a small cough and turned away from me. "Well?"

"Well…" he started off, "You're kind of a best friend to me already and the thought of you and Ives together just didn't sit well with me."

I tried to hide my smile from him. "So you were jealous?" I asked in an innocent tone.

"Pshh… me? Jealous? Nah," he answered, trying to play it off. I immediately got off of the bed and began poking his side.

"Admit it. You were jealous," I taunted playfully.

"I wasn't," he quickly defended.

"Yes, you were," I pushed on further. I had him backed up onto the wall at this point. He grabbed my wrists and turned us around so that I was now the one against the wall.

"Of Ives?" he scoffed, "There's nothing to be jealous about."

I gulped as I stared into his ever-changing eyes. Sometimes they looked hazel. Other times they looked grayish-blue, blue, or green. Right now, they were hazel. Hints of green poked out of his light brown eyes.

"You sure?" I breathe out. He nodded as he let go of my wrists.

"I'm positive," he answered.

"_If you say so_," I sang. "So… hypothetically, if I were to kiss Ives right here, right now, you wouldn't be jealous about it?"

Landon narrowed his eyes at me, but nodded slowly. "Why?"

I opened my mouth to yell out Ives' name but Landon foresaw this and covered my mouth. "Okay, fine," he groaned. "I would be jealous but not for the reasons you would think."

I grinned at him. "We'll see."

* * *

><p>"We're home," an unfamiliar feminine voice rang throughout the house.<p>

"Mommy!" Marc exclaimed, jumping out of the couch.

A woman about a few years younger than Adrien stood by the front door. Marc is nearly the spitting image of her and the smile she gave him let me know that she's a very caring person.

"Oh, Bella!" Adrien grinned, emerging from behind the woman, "You're here. That's perfect!"

I gave the woman a shy smile. "Hi," I greeted.

She smiled warmly at me. She unexpectedly gave me a gentle hug. I melted into it quickly and returned it. "It's great to finally meet you!" she exclaimed, "I'm Cassandra."

I smiled at her. "It's great to have finally met you too," I said. She chuckled.

"It's nice to see that you've put up with this crazy bunch for so long," she grinned.

I laughed. "They're not that bad," I exaggerated. She smiled and took a fleeting glance at Landon. It didn't go unnoticed by me.

"I'm glad you think so," she smiled.

"Mommy!" Marc exclaimed again.

Cassandra laughed and leaned down to ruffle his hair. "Hi, honey. There's ice cream in the trunk," she said plainly. Marc's eyes lit up and he dashed out to the car. The rest of the family groaned.

"I don't see the reason in spoiling him like that," Patrick grumbled.

"You know how he gets," Daniel whined to Cassandra. She just smirked.

"Since I haven't been around as much as usual, it's the least I could do," she told them.

"No, you just like to torture us," Ives mumbled.

"Besides, it's not like you're around when he gets all hyper," Rayne added.

"Oh, drop it, will you?" she laughed. Adrien laughed along with her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Dinner will be ready soon," he announced before disappearing into the kitchen.

Cassandra turned to me and grinned, sticking a thumb out in Adrien's direction. "That's my husband," she chuckled, "The real housewife of the family." I laughed but agreed with her. "Alright, well, I'm going to go change. I'll see you during dinner. Enjoy your stay, Bella," she smiled before going up the stairs.

"And you said she wasn't going to like you," Ives joked, nudging my side. I scowled and pushed him off.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes at him.

"Seriously, Bella. She fucking adores you," Daniel added. Rayne nodded her head eagerly beside him.

"Ugh, this is a _very_ bad sign," Rhia groaned.

I shot her a look. "And why is that?"

"If she likes you, and _they_ like you… no!" she whined.

"Get over it," Patrick scoffed. Rhia huffed and walked away from us towards the direction of Adrien.

I turned to look at Landon and saw him wearing an amused smile.

"What?" I asked him.

"Nothing," he said, "You just fit really well with us."

Ives wolf whistled. "With us? Or with you?" he teased. Landon glared at him. Ives' eyes widened and he quickly scurried away from Landon.

"Yeah, you better run!" Landon shouted after him.

* * *

><p>"So, Bella, how long have you lived here in Forks?" Cassandra asked me during dinner.<p>

I swallowed the food in my mouth and answered her, "Actually, ever since I was a kid, I've been coming here back and forth because my parents are divorced. But I've been here for about a year now," I answered her.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your parents," she apologized. I gave her a small smile.

"It's alright. Besides, they're on okay terms and my mom's current husband isn't all that bad," I assured her.

"That's nice to hear. There are hardly ever divorced couples that are on good terms nowadays," she smiled softly.

"Yeah," I agreed, "So, I hear you're the one who replaced Dr. Cullen."

She chuckled. "Yeah, that's me. That's actually the reason why I've been so busy lately. When he left, he also left behind a lot of work and patients at the hospital. Work has been hectic for me these past couple of months," she explained.

"No wonder," I chuckled.

"And guess what, you guys?" Adrien piped up.

"Yeah, Dad?" Rayne asked with a full mouth. I snickered to try to hide my laughter.

"This one restaurant called _La Bella Italia_ was close to bankruptcy because their master chef passed away and they couldn't find anyone to replace his cooking. I offered to buy it and it's mine now," he announced.

I couldn't help but choke on the food I was eating. _La Bella Italia? Isn't that… that's the restaurant Edward had taken me to!_

"Bella, are you alright?" Daniel asked, patting my back.

I reached for my glass of water and gulped it down. Landon was giving me a very concerned look.

"I'm sorry," I quickly apologized. "I'm… umm… very happy for you!" I said with a forced a smile. Apparently, Adrien bought it because he returned it with a genuine smile.

"I know, right? It's just my luck that an Italian restaurant would be closing down. It even has your name on it, Bella," he said, beaming with happiness.

"Calm down, honey."

I pushed my food away and stood up.

"Bella?" Ives asked apprehensively.

The entire family now looked at me with worry. "I'm sorry," I choked out, "I… uhh… will you excuse me?"

I bolted out of the house and into the park where I had found Landon. I grabbed onto one of the trees and finally broke out sobbing. I don't know what is going on with me. I thought that I was doing just fine, that I'm getting over _him_. However, the mention of the restaurant just brought forth so many unwanted feelings.

"_I can hear minds," he told me. I gave him a cautious look._

"_Are you on drugs?" I asked with a bit of an edge. His eyes looked into mine ever so seriously._

"_Look at that lady," he said, gesturing to the woman to our left. She looked sad and depressed._

"_What about her?" I asked._

"_Can you see how sad she is?" he asked. I nodded slowly. "Her two sons just got into a car crash and the dad has been a no show for months," he said._

"_How do you know that?" I asked with surprise._

_He tapped his temple. "She's thinking about it," he answered. I felt my heart beat faster beneath my chest._

"_This isn't funny, Edward," I warned him._

"_You said that you wanted to figure me out, so I'm helping you, because I want you to see how dangerous I am. You should stay away from me, Bella. I'm only going to hurt you."_

My eyes snapped open and I began to breathe even harder. _He warned me. And I didn't listen._ _I should have listened. Then I wouldn't be as jaded and scared as I am today._ I leaned against the tree and slid down it, my sobs getting louder. I wrapped my arms around myself just like I did during those months that I felt like a lifeless zombie.

I could hear the loud crunching of leaves behind me. I knew who it was immediately.

"Your mom probably thinks I'm a freak now, huh?" I tried to joke, sniffling as I wiped the tears away from my eyes.

Landon sighed and crouched down to sit next to me. A pile of leaves crunched under his weight.

"You are nowhere close to being a freak," he said a bit vaguely. Although I probably should have, I didn't try to figure out what he meant by that.

I sniffled and leaned my head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry," I apologized.

"For what?" he asked with confusion, taking a glance at me.

"I ruined your first real family dinner in a long time."

He let out a small chuckle and wrapped his arm around me to pull me closer. "Don't worry about it, Bella. We have so many family dinners in the future," he assured. I bowed down my head but didn't say anything. "Now, tell me. What's wrong?" he asked.

I sighed. "It's just… _that_ restaurant was the first nonofficial date Edward had taken me to. I mean, I know that it shouldn't bother me. I thought that I've been doing just fine, you know? I guess, it just brought back some unwanted memories," I explained. I felt him nod beside me, but he didn't say anything.

"Close your eyes," he finally said.

I turned my head to look at him. "Why?" I asked.

"Just do it," he said softly. I gave him a look but proceeded to just as he said. "Whenever I'm sad, angry, or whatever, music always takes things off of my mind," he informed.

With my eyes still closed, I replied, "But we don't have any music." He let out a small laugh.

"But you have _me_," he contradicted. I couldn't help the smile that broke through my sobbing lips.

"Okay," I half laughed, half sobbed.

"_Some things we don't talk about, rather do without, just hold a smile. Falling in and out of love, ashamed and proud of, together all the while_," he sang.

This time, a happy sob escaped me and I buried myself further in Landon's embrace.

"I swear, you always know the right words to say, or rather _sing_," I told him, my voice still slightly raspy from the sobs.

"Hey, it's okay to be sad sometimes. You don't always have to hold things in. I'm always going to be here for you, to listen to you, okay?" he added.

I wrapped my arms around him and nodded. "Thank you, Landon. You're the best," I cried happily.

"Of course," he chuckled.

I looked up at him and stared into his eyes. They were a light gray now and they never wavered from my own. He continued to return my gaze and through his eyes, I found out just what I needed to know.

_Well, this complicates things._

**Ohhhhh, so how'd you guys like this chapter, eh? **

**I totally loved the Wii Fit scene. LOL. I just ****had**** to do it. Cassandra is finally revealed in the story. Woot. But honestly, she won't really play a huge role until the Cullens come back. Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that. Hehe xD **

**And see? There is some drama to this story. Besides, don't worry. I'm just getting started. Just wait until we get to the ****next**** chapter. You guys are gonna die from so much drama. Hehe.**

**Speaking of, I thought that I'd just give you a ****little**** sneak peak of what to expect. But remember, the faster you want that chapter, the more reviews you gotta give. So hear goes:**

"What don't I get?" I asked him. Not once, did he turn to look at me. I don't know why but I could feel myself getting angry with him. "Why won't you tell me?" I snapped.

"There are just some things you can't know, alright?" he said in monotone.

"Fine," I spat.

##########

"Come on, Bella. His birthday is tomorrow. You can't just avoid him," she pointed out. I crossed my arms and shook my head.

"No, I can do whatever I please," I said firmly.

"Yeah, girl! Fight for your right!" Ives' unmistakable voice agreed.

##########

"What is it that you guys are hiding anyways? It's not like you guys are vampires or something, right?" I tried to joke. However, the blazing anger in his eyes shocked me a bit. I didn't bother to read into it.

##########

"What difference does it make if we get much closer than that?" I asked.

"How much closer?" he asked in a low tone.

**OH MY! What are the Fiores hiding? Why is Bella mad at Landon? Are Landon and Bella finally getting together?**

**Well, too bad. That's for the next chapter. I'm so evil :D**

**By the way, if you guys haven't noticed. I ****have**** been trying to give you clues that the Fiores are in fact **_**not**_** human. Well, not completely, anyways. Can you guys figure out some of the clues I've been hinting? Huh? HUH?**

**Also, the song used was Never Say Never by The Fray. If you haven't heard it before, you totally should. It's a really, really, really good song!**

**Remember guys, leave me some love. The more love you give, the faster the update. WOOT!**

**Love = REVIEWS**


	6. Countdown

**This may just be that chapter you have been waiting for! Well, other than finding out what the Fiores are that is… Thank you for all of the reviews I received from the previous chapter. You guys are the best! I hope you guys like this chapter.**

**Anyways… Happy 11/11/11! **

Chapter 6: Countdown

**Bella POV**

Over the past few days that I've been sleeping over the Fiores, Rayne and I have been planning Landon's birthday party. His birthday is coincidentally on New Year's Day at exactly midnight. I most definitely did not believe Rayne when she first told me. I only believed her when she showed me Landon's birth certificate.

"Now you believe me?" she asked, rolling her eyes. I gave her a skeptical look.

"How do I know that you didn't just fake this?" I asked suspiciously.

"Oh my God, Bella! Seriously – "

"Umm… what are you doing with my birth certificate?" Landon asked as he suddenly appeared in front of us. Both Rayne and I looked up at him and gave him uneasy smiles.

"Nothing," I squeaked. Rayne elbowed me with narrowed eyes.

Landon's eyes slowly widened with realization. "No way! You two are not planning me a party!" he shouted.

I was surprised to see a smirk on Rayne's face. "Who says it's for you? Bella and I are planning a New Year's Eve party, for your information," she defended in a matter-of-fact tone.

Ives also appeared into the living room and plopped next to me on the couch. He grinned at Landon. "Yeah, Landon. Stop being so conceited," he teased.

Landon groaned in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair. "Argh! You guys are impossible!" With that, he walked away from us and stomped up the stairs. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me.

"Hey, Rayne? Have I ever told you how good you are? 'Cuz girl, you're _really_ good," I chuckled.

"Tell me about it," Daniel smiled as he joined us.

"I know I'm good," Rayne grinned cockily, obviously talking about a something else.

"OMG! Incest!" Ives shrieked, covering his ears. Rayne and Daniel glared at him.

"For the last time, we're not related, so it's not incest!" she yelled at him.

"He's never going to let that go. You know that, right?" Patrick told Rayne and Daniel as he joined us.

"Stupid mofo," Daniel muttered under his breath.

"O-kay," I said awkwardly, trying to change the subject. "So, guest list?" I asked Rayne. She was still glaring at Ives, so it took a while for her to reply.

Finally, she answered, "Same as the Christmas party."

"Wow, two parties in a one week span. Someone's popular," I joked. Rayne laughed.

"At least we all know that it's not Patrick," Ives added snidely. Patrick glared at him.

"I'd rather be a loner than a freak like you," he responded.

"_Ouch. Burn_," Daniel exaggerated, trying to gauge Ives' reaction.

"Whatever," Ives huffed. Patrick wooted and did his 'I-Win' dance.

"You just got owned!" he exclaimed happily. Ives gave him a sarcastic smile but said nothing.

"Is something wrong with you?" I asked him with mock worry, putting my hand on his forehead.

"Just admit it, Ives! You've finally run out of comebacks!" Patrick grinned to himself.

"I resent that!" he shouted before walking away. We all stared after him.

"The Great Ives has finally fallen," Daniel commented, pretending to be sad. The four of us then gave each other a look. Even Patrick, in his joyous glory, knew that this was only momentary.

"He'll get over it," we all said in unison. We shrugged it off and Rayne and I continued planning.

"Is Adrien cooking again?" I asked her. She nodded.

"Yeah, except he's going to get the staff and crew of _La Bella Italia_ to help him this time," she answered, looking slightly worried of my response.

After my breakdown from a few days ago, Rayne demanded to know what was wrong. I decided that I couldn't keep it a secret from them any longer, so I finally spilled. Both Adrien and Cassandra were also present. They reacted much like Landon did. They didn't give me pity, only understanding. It was exactly what I needed. I think that I was able to move on just a bit more from that experience.

"That's great," I told Rayne, giving her an assuring smile. Her eyes twinkled with relief.

"Also, do you mind if Jessica and Lauren attend?" she asked. "Because I'm in the cheer squad and so are they, so it's kind of necessary that I invite them."

Patrick grinned at the mention of this. "Oh, hell yeah! Maybe I can see Bella punch that bitch again!" he said excitedly.

"That was a nice punch," Daniel agreed.

"So…?" Rayne asked hopefully. I let out a sigh.

"Fine, but if that whore thinks she can bad mouth be again, I'm going to kick her ass into next week," I warned. Rayne gave me an approving look.

"Damn right, girl," she chuckled.

* * *

><p>"<em>Landon<em>," I sang through the halls.

"Yeah?" I heard him shout.

I grinned and made my way into his room. He was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. I jumped onto the bed and laid next to him.

"What'cha doing?" I asked playfully.

"Thinking," he answered. I quickly glanced at him.

"About what?" I asked curiously.

"A lot of things."

"Like…?" I pushed on further. He finally met my gaze and smiled.

"Lacey, me, birds…" he grinned, gently poking my side. I laughed.

"What would you be thinking of birds for?" I asked, thinking he was just joking around. He shrugged.

"You and Rayne seriously need to stop with the party," he then said, quickly changing the subject.

"Why? You're turning nineteen. Isn't that a good thing?" I asked.

"I hate getting older," he whined. I paused for a second and thought about when I wanted eternity with the Cullens. _I mean, I don't like the idea of getting older either, but is an eternity on earth worth really it?_

"You're not the only one," I assured him.

"No, you don't get it," he said, abruptly sitting up. I slowly sat us and stared at his back. I scrunched up my eyebrows in confusion.

"What don't I get?" I asked him. Not once, did he turn to look at me. I don't know why but I could feel myself getting angry with him. "Why won't you tell me?" I snapped.

"There are just some things you can't know, alright?" he said in monotone.

"Fine," I spat. I got out of his bed and began to make my way out. I paused as I touched his doorknob. "This is one of the things I hated about _him_," I began to tell Landon, trying to control my anger. His head finally snapped towards me and I could feel his gaze on my back. "_He_ always hid things from me, never let me in on anything. I hated it," I continued. I finally turned around and locked eyes with him. I could see the slight look of pain in his eyes. "I hate this," I finished before leaving his room, slamming the door shut.

I leaned against his door for a moment and took a huge breath. I could feel tears prickling the back of my eyes. I quickly wiped them away as I ran towards the guest room. I locked my door and fell face flat on the bed.

_I don't understand that way Landon works. We were fine one second and then he just closed himself off from me. I mean, I always knew that there was something odd with this family. They may not realize it, but I've been noticing a lot of things, things that I can't explain and things that I just don't want to think about. _I'd rather just delude myself into thinking that they're just humans. Weird humans, even.

I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. _If that's how Landon wants to play it, then fine._

* * *

><p>Since yesterday, I've been avoiding Landon like the plague. Everyone has clearly noticed it, but no one has yet to speak up. If Landon is in the room, I leave. When he joins in on a conversation, I stop talking. It's rather easy to avoid him, actually. It would be hilarious if I weren't so serious about it. He honestly looks like someone kicked his puppy.<p>

However, Rayne finally seemed to have enough of it because she pulled me aside.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" she demanded from me. I yanked my arm from her grip.

"Why are you asking me? It's not my fault," I defended. She groaned and smacked her forehead.

"Oh God! What did he do?" she asked worriedly.

I huffed and crossed my arms in anger. "We were fine but then he started going into some cryptic shit about birds and getting older. I mean, what the fuck, right? And then he goes on and tells me that there are things that I can't know and blah, blah, blah," I explained while rolling my eyes.

Understanding seemed to fill her eyes. "Yeah, age is a really touchy subject for Landon," she told me. "For the moment," I heard her mutter, but I don't think I was meant to hear it.

"Why?" I asked curiously. Rayne bit her lip and shook her head.

"Landon's right though, Bella. There are some things that you aren't allowed to know," she said with apology in her voice.

"As in, never?" I snapped.

"Not never," she defended, "Just… not yet." At this, I finally calmed down. "I hope you understand," she said softly. I nodded and sighed.

"I guess," I finally agreed, "I don't tell you everything either." Her eyes widened and I laughed at her expression. "I'm serious, though. I shouldn't expect too much if I can't do the same."

"_Yet_, right?" she asked hopefully. I chuckled but nodded.

"I'll be ready when you guys are," I promised.

"Okay," she accepted. "So, does this mean that you'll make up with Landon?" she asked.

I scoffed. "Fat chance. I get what you're saying because you explained it. Now, _him_. He was just being an ass," I told her. She sighed.

"Come on, Bella. His birthday is tomorrow. You can't just avoid him," she pointed out. I crossed my arms and shook my head.

"No, I can do whatever I please," I said firmly.

"Yeah, girl! Fight for your right!" Ives' unmistakable voice agreed.

I rolled my eyes but agreed, "Yeah, what he said." Ives made his way next to me and nodded his head. He held out his fist to me and we fist bumped while giving each other gangster nods.

"You guys are so childish," Rayne told us, shaking her head in shame.

"I resent that!" both Ives and I shouted at the same time.

"Unbelievable," she muttered before walking away.

Ives turned his head to look at me. "Pshh, she's just jealous of our awesomeness."

I couldn't help but crack a smile. "You see, this is why you're my best friend," I laughed, high fiving him. Just for a brief moment, I forgot what I was so mad at Landon about. But later, I remembered and it lingered in my mind throughout the rest of the day.

* * *

><p><span>T-minus 10 hours<span>

It's already the day of the party and ten hours before Landon's official birthday. I still haven't talked to Landon. _Nuh uh_. There's no way that I'm making the first move. If he wants to talk to me then he should take the first initiative. I do feel a bit guilty for doing this to him on his birthday, but then again, he kind of deserves it. _Or maybe I'm just being a bit too dramatic._

"Hey, Bella!" Patrick called out for me. I turned around and saw him jogging towards me.

"Yeah?" I asked, while setting up the tables and chairs in the backyard,

"What's up with you two?" he asked curiously. He didn't need to specify it. He knows that I know exactly whom he's talking about.

"Yeah, what _is_ going on?" Daniel piped up as well. _Huh, I would have thought that Rayne told him._

"He was being a ass," I answered simply, not even batting them a glance.

"Figures," Patrick snorted, "I thought you would have realized it earlier," I rolled my eyes at him.

"Huh," Daniel said with wonder in his voice.

I shook my head. "Why do you guys even care?" I asked, trying not to sound too snappy.

Patrick shrugged. "I don't know. It's just weird," he replied.

"What did he say to you?" Daniel asked, albeit a bit too seriously. I observed him and answered slowly.

"Some crap about birds and getting older," I answered.

I didn't miss the look that Daniel and Patrick gave each other.

"Maybe he was high?" Patrick offered. I couldn't help it. I laughed like a maniac.

"Oh God, that was good," I chuckled, wiping away some laughter tears. "You got any more suggestions?"

"How about, he's not used to having a girl that close to him, so he took a defensive position and pushed you away before he could get any closer," Daniel suggested.

Patrick and I gaped at him "Whoa, dude," Patrick breathed out.

"That was some deep shit," I commented.

Daniel grinned. "I've got my moments," he said cockily.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, trying to return to my work.

"So?" Daniel suddenly asked.

I snapped my head towards him. "So what?"

"Don't you think that could have been his reason?"

"Doubt it," I scoffed.

"Sorry, but I kind of agree with Bella on this one. There is no way that Landon could be that deep," Patrick said, "You, maybe. But, him? No way."

"Geez, Patrick. Stop being so prejudiced over the guy," Daniel scolded. Patrick merely shrugged.

"Umm, do you guys mind? I don't really have time to play therapist right now," I joked lightly, "I've still got stuff to set up." They both nodded. Patrick left but Daniel lingered back.

"Just think about it," he said before he left.

After he left, I did just that.

* * *

><p><span>T-minus 6 hours<span>

"Where the hell are Rhia and Marc? I haven't seen them for like two freaking days," I asked Rayne.

"Huh," she said with a glint in her eyes, "No wonder it's been so quiet lately."

"Other than Ives, you mean?" I joked. Ives gave me a pointed look but didn't comment.

"Well, yeah," she chuckled.

"Do you guys know where they are?" I turned to Ives, Patrick, and Daniel.

"Beats me," Patrick shrugged.

"I don't really give a shit about them. You guys know that," Ives reminded us. As harsh as it sounded, it's true. Ives was once in charge of Marc while we were at the mall and he lost him. I cannot even begin to describe how long it took us to find a sugar-rushed kid.

"Daniel?" I asked.

"I'd tell you but Rhia would kill me," he said with a terrified look on his face.

"Oh, come on. She won't kill you," I laughed.

"Trust me, she'll get pretty close," Patrick said seriously.

"Okay. Now, I wanna know!" Ives exclaimed. I gave Rayne a look. She got the hint.

"Tell us. Please?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him. She even added a hair flip. I mouthed 'nice' to her while Patrick and Ives were fake gagging.

"They went to a two-day ballet camp," he finally spilled. The rest of us looked at each other and there was a brief lull in the room. Suddenly, we all burst out laughing. I was laughing so hard that my stomach began to hurt and I could hardly breathe.

"Rhia… ballet… oh God," I laughed thunderously.

Through my peripheral vision, I saw Landon go down the stairs, most likely to see what the commotion is about. However, I couldn't bother to care at the moment.

At this point, all of us, except Daniel, were laughing and rolling on the floor maniacally.

"She is never going to live this down," Ives chuckled evilly.

"Why would Marc – "

"You can bribe that boy to do anything just by offering him ice cream," Rayne laughed.

"She must not have down it willingly," Patrick pointed out.

"Of course not," Daniel agreed, "She did it because Adrien thought she needed to experience more girly things. You know how she is with Adrien."

"If anyone can get her to do ballet, it has to be Dad," Rayne chuckled, wiping away come tears. After her comment, we all finally managed to calm down.

Despite my calmness, I quickly became tense as I saw Landon making his way towards us. I stood up almost immediately.

"Where are you going?" Ives asked with confusion.

"I think I forgot to set something up," I lied. Patrick gave me a weird look.

"What are you talking about? Everything is already – "

"I'll be back in a bit," I cut him off quickly. I could feel Landon's gaze on my back. I could tell that he was going to try to talk to me, so I rushed towards the guest room.

"Wait! Bella!" he called after me, but I had already locked my door.

* * *

><p><span>T-minus 2 hours<span>

The guests have finally started to arrive. I had the utmost displeasure of opening the door to Lauren and her 'posse,' which now included Jessica. Lauren had opened her mouth to talk but I beat her to it.

"Say one word to me and I'll have your ass kicked out of this party before you can even say 'bitch,'" I threatened. She and the other glared at me but didn't say a word.

"Someone's learning," a voice commented. I looked down to see Rhia with an amused smirk. _Oh, did I also mention that the she-devil and Marc had also arrived?_

"Only from the best," I grinned, showing my teeth. She patted me on the arm.

"I just might keep you around," was all she said before walking away. _Okay… creepy._

"Bella! Bella! Bella!" Marc's high-pitched voice chanted.

"Yeah, Kangaroux?" I chuckled, ruffling his hair. He waved me down to his level.

"Adrien's hiding the ice cream from me," he whispered in my ear.

"No," I played along. He nodded with wide eyes.

"I think I'm going through a with… withdraw… with – "

"Withdrawal?" I offered.

"Yeah, that," he nodded cheekily. _I swear, he's so fucking cute that I could just die._

"Don't tell Adrien but they're behind the frozen broccoli," I whispered secretly in his ear.

He thumped his forehead. "Of course!" he exclaimed, "Thank you, Bella!" He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before heading off towards the kitchen. I laughed while watching him scurry away. Someone tapped my back and I had expected it to be either Rayne or Ives, so I turned around with a smile. However, it quickly turned into a frown when I saw that it was Landon. I pursed my lips at him. I raised an eyebrow and willed him to speak.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. I wasn't too convinced at the tone of his voice. I turned around and was ready to walk away, but he grabbed my arm and kept me where I was. "I'm sorry that I was being such an ass. I'm sorry for talking to you the way that I did. I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings. I'm sorry that I caused our first fight. Please talk to me, Bella. _Please_," he pleaded, looking deeply into my eyes.

"What do you want me to say?" I snapped. He flinched at my tone. "Rayne explained the issue to me _nicely_, and I understood. Why couldn't you do the same?"

"I admit. It was a bad judgment on my part," he admitted, "It's just that… it's hard to let people in, to let them know _everything _about you. I feel like if you found out everything about us, about _me_, you won't like what you might find."

"What is it that you guys are hiding anyways? It's not like you guys are vampires or something, right?" I tried to joke. However, the blazing anger in his eyes shocked me a bit. I didn't bother to read into it. I sighed and stepped away from him. His anger was now laced with hurt. "Look. Don't you think that I do the same for you and your family? I let you know things about me that no one else does. You're already in too deep. _I'm_ in too deep. What difference does it make if we get much closer than that?" I asked, not exactly realizing the double meaning to my words.

He stepped towards me, close enough that our chests were touching. I tilted my head up and looked into his current gray undecipherable eyes. "How much closer?" he asked in a low tone.

I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. My breaths were coming out in small pants.

"_You_ tell me," I managed to breathe out. He opened his mouth to speak and –

_FLASH!_

Irritated, I turned to Patrick and glared. "Again? Seriously?" I hissed. He merely gave me a sheepish grin.

"So, I take it you guys are okay now?" he asked teasingly. I rolled my eyes.

"Just go," I ordered.

He laughed and shrugged. "Great picture, by the way!" he shouted before leaving.

"I swear…" I heard Landon grumble. I chuckled and patted his chest.

"We're okay," I assured him. The smile that made its way onto his lips honestly made my day. I smiled and began to walk away. However, after only a couple of steps, Landon grabbed my wrist.

"Bella, I – " he started, but he cut himself off, looking hesitant.

"Yeah?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"Thank you," he said instead.

"As long as you don't do it again," I shrugged. He grinned.

I squeaked when he suddenly hugged me and lifted me off of the floor. We had a nice, little moment to ourselves but it was quickly interrupted.

"Landon!" a group of Forks' kids yelled out.

"I'll see you later?" he asked.

"I'll be around," I smiled. He returned it as he jogged to the group.

"I knew you wouldn't last," Ives said, suddenly appearing next to me.

"Where the hell do you come from?" I shrieked with slight surprise.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," he grinned.

"It's a good thing that you're not a magician then," I teased.

He showed me his pearly whites.

"No, but I might as well be," he said vaguely.

_What?_

* * *

><p><span>T-minus 30 minutes<span>

"Announcement!" Rayne spoke into the microphone, "The countdown will start now. The new year will be here in thirty!" Everyone wooted as Rayne started the large projected timer on the wall.

"Are you ready for the new year?" Daniel asked me.

"Yeah. It's about time I left behind some things from this year," I answered genuinely.

"The Cullens, right?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, looking out into the distance. "They're not important anymore. _He's_ not important," I added. He nodded and gave me an assuring smile.

"We'll always be here, Bella. Know that," he said.

"I know," I smiled at him. Rayne made her way towards us and linked her arm with Daniel's.

"Mind if I steal him for a bit?" she joked. I laughed and nodded. They made their way to the dance floor and began dancing. I sighed as I watched them. _I hope that I can find what they have someday._

I felt a tap on my shoulder, so I turned around and was faced with Adrien. "Hey, Bella," he greeted. I looked at his outfit and saw that he was still wearing his chef clothes.

"Hey," I laughed, "Why haven't you changed?"

"He says it makes him look hot," Cassandra joked as she appeared beside him. They both gave me smiles that warmed my heart. "You guys did great with the party," Cassandra complimented.

I smiled. "Thanks. It didn't take the much work, actually," I said.

"Don't be so modest," Adrien grinned, "Oh, hey! If you're hungry we've got tons of food." I chuckled.

"I'm okay, but thanks," I replied.

"Alright, honey. Well, we'll see you around, alright?" Cassandra said. I nodded and watched them walked away.

I was just about to head towards the backyard when I got swooped into a dance.

"What the hell, Ives?" I laughed as he spun me around.

"You looked bored," he grinned.

"You know I can't dance," I said, watching my feet.

"Liar. You dance just fine," he told me. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. It's _your_ foot," I warned. I can honestly say that it was the first dance that I've ever actually enjoyed. Far East Movement's _Like a G6_ went on and Ives went ballistic.

"Oh my God! This is my jam!" he exclaimed. I laughed him and pushed him away.

"Go find another dancing partner," I said. He stuck his tongue out before he started crumping. I covered my eyes. _Ahh, so this is what they must have been talking about._ He truly does look like a drowning cat. "I do not need to see that," I muttered. I turned around but bumped into a hard body. I took my hands away from my eyes and saw Landon.

"Hey," I greeted awkwardly, blushing from the embarrassing situation.

"Hi," he said huskily. He held out his hand to me and said, "May I have this dance?"

"_Like a G6_?" I asked, trying to see if he was serious. By the looks of it, he hadn't exactly thought that one through. I laughed at his expression.

"How about I come back when the right song comes on?" he asked instead. I patted his shoulder with a grin.

"Yeah, you go do that," I grinned. He nodded with a sheepish smile and walked away.

_I can't wait for this so called "right song."_

* * *

><p><span>T-minus 5 minutes<span>

After about six or seven songs, Landon finally met with me again.

"Is the right song coming up?" I teased.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, holding out his hand for me. I chuckled but put my hand on his. He led us to the dance floor just as the current song ended. The new song began to play but I wasn't quite familiar with it.

"Do you know this song?" I asked him. He didn't answer but a smile was playing on his lips. I finally wrapped my arms around his neck, as he wrapped his around my waist.

_Why am I mad? I don't get it._

_It seems like everytime you give me signs and I miss it._

I looked up at him with a questioning gaze. He did nothing but gaze back onto my eyes. We continued to sway to the music. Landon finally spoke, but only to sing along. "_Seems like every time I get the chance, I lose my cool and I blow it. And I get all tongue tied, lost in your eyes, I'm a fool, and I know it. I should've kissed you. I should've told you, told you just how I feel_," he sang with the voice that I loved.

I could already feel the blush creeping its way onto my cheeks. I laid my head on his chest to hide it and managed to listen to his heartbeat, despite the loud noise surrounding us.

When the song finally ended, Landon and I stayed the way we were. I felt him sigh under my embrace. I somehow pulled away from him just in time as the ten-second countdown began.

"_Ten!_" they chanted.

I looked into Landon's eyes once more but couldn't handle the raw emotion I saw in them. I ran away from him, pushing past some people.

"_Nine!_"

"Bella!" he called after me.

"_Eight!_"

"Please!" he begged.

"_Seven!_"

I gasped for air, feeling exhausted. I was so tired of running away from everything, but I just don't think I can handle it if this isn't real.

"_Six! Five!_"

Suddenly, the lights went out and I couldn't see anything.

"_Four!"_

I held my hands out in front of my as I tried to grab onto something.

"_Three!"_

I gasped as I bumped into a familiar body.

"_Two!"_

I felt him grab my wrists and he pulled me flush to his body.

"_One!"_

The only thing I could feel at that moment was a pair of soft lips against my own. The loud shouts and cheers melted behind the background and all I could hear was the soft hum of my heart beating erratically under my chest. The hands that gripped my wrists soon let go and instead made their way onto my waist. My fingers slowly linked behind his neck as I returned the kiss.

My eyes finally fluttered open as the lights finally went back on. My eyes widened at the sight on Landon's eyes staring back into my own. I pried my lips from his and pushed myself away from him.

We were both breathing hard, trying to gasp for air. I reached up to touch my lips as I stared at him.

"Bella – "

I shook my head and ran up to the guest room.

"Wait!"

I slammed the door shut. I leaned against the door and slowly slid down it. I buried my head in my hands and took deep breaths. I bit my lip as I remembered how his lips felt against my own.

It finally happened… but I'm not sure what to do about it.

**OH SNAP! Cliffy guys. CLIFFY.**

**What do you guys think? Will Bella finally succumb to Landon's charms? Will they finally get together? Sigh. Only I know :) **

**And if you want to know too, don't be afraid to leave me some REVIEWS!**

**Happy Veteran's Day!**


	7. Cannot Deny

**This is it, you guys. THIS IS IT.**

**The Fiores' secret identities are finally gonna be revealed. Are you ready for it? Here goes :)**

**P.S. Like I said, Charlie is pretty important in this story. He makes his debut in this chapter.**

Chapter 7: Cannot Deny

**Bella POV**

After the 'Incident,' I decided to cut my two-week sleepover short. Right when the sun rose at around seven o'clock, I began to pack my things. I looked out of my window to see Landon go out for a jog. I sighed with relief. I dragged my bag out of the room, only to be faced with a gaping Patrick.

"Why are you all packed up?" he asked, looking at the suitcase.

I laughed nervously. "Umm… there's an emergency at home. Yeah," I said, trying to make up an excuse. He gave me a look, saying that he didn't buy my lie.

Daniel came out from his bedroom door, yawning. He also zeroed in on my suitcase.

"Okay, what happened?" he asked suspiciously, making his way towards us.

"Nothing!" I asked, albeit a bit forcefully. They narrowed their eyes at me.

"You're lying," Patrick said.

"What happened last night, Bella?" Daniel demanded.

"Landon and I kissed, okay?" I shouted. I gasped and covered my mouth as soon as the words escaped me. Both Daniel and Patrick, however, began to grin widely.

"That's great!" Daniel exclaimed.

I stared at him with wide eyes. "No! It's not great!" I contradicted, "It ruins everything!"

"What ruins everything?" Rayne asked in a sleep-laced tone as she emerged from her room.

"Bella and Landon kissed," Patrick teased. I scowled at all of them.

Rayne's eyes widened and she squealed. "Finally!" she shouted. Her eyes soon darted to my bag. "What's with the bag?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Ives chose the exact moment to come out from his room.

"Someone was going to sneak out," Ives piped out, finally appearing. His hair was mussed, much like Daniel's and Patrick's.

"I was not!" I defended. They all gave me an 'are-you-kidding-me?' look. "I was gonna leave a note," I mumbled. They all glared at me and crossed their arms. I looked down to escape their gazes.

"I don't see what your problem is," Ives yawned.

"Yeah," Patrick agreed, "If it weren't for me, you guys would have kissed ages ago."

"Besides, I thought that you liked him," Rayne pointed out.

"What? I never said anything like that!" I defended.

"Bella, come on. It's so obvious," Daniel said, rolling his eyes.

"He likes you too," Ives added, "He practically screams it at the top of his lungs, Bella. You would be freaking deaf not to hear him." We all gave him amused looks at his comparison. I shook my head and picked my bag up.

"Look," I sighed, "I'm not ready for anything right now. I need to think." I tried to make my way through the wall they built around me, but Rayne held me back.

"Are you sure you're just not running away?" she asked softly. I bit my lip and didn't respond.

As I reached the top of the stairs, I turned around to see them all staring at me. "Can you tell the others that I said goodbye and that I'll see them soon?" I asked. They all nodded.

"Bella! Wait!" Daniel shouted after me.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning around.

"What about Landon?" he inquired. I gave him and the others a reassuring smile.

"Tell him I said happy birthday," I said softly. He nodded.

"You'll be back, right?" Ives asked hopefully. I chuckled a little.

"Of course!" I grinned, "As if I could stay away from you guys." They smiled at this. "I'll see you soon!" I shouted as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I looked around and saw remnants of the party from last night. I sighed and finally stepped out of the house.

* * *

><p>"Bella?" Charlie's voice echoed from the living room as I entered the house.<p>

"Yeah, it's me, Dad," I announced, making my way towards him.

"I thought you were gonna be there for two weeks," he said. I shrugged.

"I missed you," I half-lied. He chuckled and patted the seat next to him. I plopped down on the couch and he wrapped one of his arms around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him.

"We both know that you didn't miss me," he joked. I smiled and playfully hit him. "Now, what's wrong, Bells?"

"It's nothing," I said, trying to wave off his concern.

"Is it Landon?" he asked. My eyes widened and I looked up at him in shock.

"How do you know about him?" I demanded to know. He laughed.

"I saw the photo at the museum," he explained, "The gang and I went there and you cannot even imagine the shock I felt at seeing my little girl wrapped up with some boy I don't even know."

I blushed. "Stupid Patrick," I grumbled. Charlie gave me a questioning look. "He's the one that took the picture and got it showcased."

"Ahh…" he said, understanding. "Anyways, Rachel and Rebecca absolutely loved it. They just kept talking and talking about it," he grinned. I buried my face into his chest from embarrassment.

"Dad…" I whined.

"So I asked around at the station. It turns out that he's the adoptive son of the woman who replaced Carlisle. Then I realize, they must be the 'friends' you've been spending time with," he explained further. "Whatever happened to your other friends?" he asked.

"They're not my friends anymore," I mumbled, "Except Angela."

"I'm not even gonna ask," he said, shaking his head. "Now, tell me what caused you to come home early. Something must have happened."

I sighed but proceeded to tell him everything that's happened to me since I met the Fiores and Rouxs. Yes, I even told him about Landon and me, and what I feel for him. I also told him about how they've helped me move on and become a better person than I was during my zombie days.

"Maybe you're just scared," he commented.

"Of what?" I scoffed.

"Of being hurt. You're scared that Landon might be another Edward," he answered. Charlie's hands clenched into fists at the mention of Edward.

"Wait, why does it sound like you actually approve of Landon?" I asked suspiciously.

He chuckled but nodded. "I like him. I may have never met him in real life, but I've met him from a photograph. A picture's worth a thousand words, Bella. I saw the way he was looking at you. It's nothing like the way Edward looked at you," he replied.

"How _did_ Edward look at me?" I asked curiously.

His face scrunched up with wonder. "I'm not sure how to explain it. It just seemed like he expected you to break at any second, like… like you couldn't protect yourself. Landon, though… he looks at you like you're his world," he said.

"He does?" I asked with disbelief. Charlie smiled softly and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Why don't you give him a chance?" he suggested. I bit my lip but nodded. "And I want to meet him, alright?" I chuckled and hugged him.

"Of course," I grinned.

"Anyone who can make you smile like that is a good person," he added.

"Thanks, Dad," I said genuinely.

"Anytime, Bells. Anytime."

* * *

><p>As soon as the next day came, I quickly made my way back to the Fiores house. I couldn't wait to see Landon already.<p>

When I knocked at the door, I was faced with a frowning Rayne. However, she quickly covered it up with a smile. I could tell that she's just forcing it.

"Bella! You're back already?" she asked with fake enthusiasm.

"What's going on, Rayne?" I asked with concern as I noticed her fidgety actions.

"It's just… it's really not the right time to be here, Bella," she said nervously. I tried to push past her to go into the house but she continued to block me.

"Rayne, what's wrong?" I demanded.

"Landon's sick and you might catch what he has if you stay, so please, just – "

I managed to duck under her while she was a bit distracted.

"Bella!" she shouted after me.

As I entered the house, I saw everyone sitting around the living room. They all looked worried out of their minds. Even Rhia looked worried. This was an indication that whatever is going on with Landon must be serious.

"Bella!" Adrien exclaimed with shock, "You shouldn't be here."

I shook my head and began to run towards Landon's room. I vaguely remember Daniel getting up, but Cassandra grabbed him and told him, "Just let her go."

I knocked on Landon's door but the only response I received was a pained groan. Worried, I opened his door. I gasped at the sight in front of me. Landon was sweating profusely and his face was scrunched up into a grimace. He was clutching his stomach in pain.

"Landon," I whispered. His eyes snapped towards me and they widened.

"Bella," he wheezed, "What are you… doing… here?" He groaned again and doubled over with pain.

I finally gathered my bearings and hurried towards him. I grabbed the towel on his nightstand and began to pat his forehead. He softly grabbed my wrist and lowered it.

"Bella…" he warned.

"What happened?" I asked, "You were just fine yesterday."

He suddenly let go of my wrist and yelled out, "Fucking shit!" He curled up into a fetal position and then his entire back arched.

"Landon," I gasped, not knowing what to do. His eyes were bloodshot red and his veins were scarily popping out of his neck and his wrists. "What's going on?" I cried.

The pain seemed to momentarily subside him as he slowly collapsed onto the bed. "Bella," he whispered in a cracked voice, "You shouldn't be here."

"What's going on?" I asked again, grabbing his hand.

"I can't… I…" He couldn't even finish his own sentence.

"Shh… it's okay," I soothed, wiping his face with the towel. He grabbed one of my hands and held it on his cheek.

"So warm…" he murmured; his eyes fluttering closed. I choked back the sob threatening to escape my throat. I laid my head on his bed and felt the tears seep into his bed. _Please be okay._ I could hear his breathing even out, and I figured that he must have fallen asleep.

I was going to go downstairs to demand to know what's going on, but Landon's grip on my hand tightened as I tried to leave. I sighed and sat back down on the chair by his bed. I laid my head on the bed and closed my eyes. I found myself falling asleep at the sound of Landon's breathing.

* * *

><p>My eyes fluttered open as I felt a hand stroking my cheek. I yawned and smiled to see Landon smiling at me.<p>

"You came back," he said softly. He was still perspiring and would occasionally grimace but he looked better nonetheless. "Why'd you leave?" he asked. I bit my lip, not knowing what to say.

"I was scared," I admitted, "It just caught me off guard and I didn't know what to feel about it."

"Why'd you come back?" he asked curiously.

"My dad and I talked. He gave me some advice," I explained. A smile made its way to my lips as I remembered our conversation.

"What?" Landon chuckled.

"Nothing. It's just that Charlie already likes you even though you're never met. He saw the photograph at the museum," I continued.

He smiled at this but then it turned into a frown as he groaned in pain.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly. He nodded weakly. "What's going on, anyways? This isn't normal," I pointed out. He looked hesitant to tell me. "Landon…"

"First things first, it's not contagious and – " My sudden movement to lie next to him cut him off. I grinned cheekily up at him. I didn't care if he was sweating. I just really wanted to be close to him. He looked at me with amusement but wrapped his arm around me anyways. "I'll be like this for a couple more days. The last day will be the worst, but I'll be okay after that. No, I can't tell you what this is exactly, but I might be able to after this passes," he finished.

"You promise?" I asked him.

"I promise," he smiled as he leaned down towards me. I bit my lips but stretched up to meet him. Just when our lips were about to touch for the second time, a knock interrupted us.

I groaned. "I swear to God, if it's Patrick, I'm going to – " I shut up when Cassandra opened the door.

"_Oh_," she grinned at the sight of us. "I was just going to check up on you two, but I see you're doing well on your own," she said. I blushed and hid myself into Landon's chest.

"Thanks, Cassandra," Landon thanked. I heard the thud of the closing door so I finally went out from hiding. Landon was grinning at me. My eyes fluttered close as he placed a butterfly kiss on my nose. Before I knew it, he had captured my lips into a kiss. His grip on my waist tightened, pulling me closer to his body. I reached up to caress his cheek. His teeth caught my bottom lip and gently tugged on it. I hummed in appreciation, as I tasted the remnants of an orange flavored lozenge. I chuckled against his lips. He pulled back and looked at me questioningly.

"You taste like orange lozenges," I grinned. He laughed at my random statement.

"And you taste like toast," he teased. I felt the heat rise up in my cheeks.

"Shut up," I muttered, but I couldn't help the smile on my face.

His face contorted into a painful expression once again and I bit my lip with worry.

"Would massaging it help?" I offered. His eyes tried to assess if I was being serious. "What is it, anyways? Your stomach or your back?"

"It's both," he answered. I sat up from his bed and grabbed the oil by his nightstand. I held it up and raised my eyebrow at him. "Cassandra said it would help," he shrugged.

"Sure…" I teased. I rolled him over so that he was lying on his back. I slowly rolled up the hem of his shirt, careful not to hurt him. I tried to contain the blush that threatened to appear at the sight of Landon's abs.

"You alright there?" Landon teased with a smirk as he watched on his elbows.

"So cocky," I grumbled. His deep chuckle reached my ears and made my breath hitch a bit.

I put some oil on my hands and began to rub them together to create heat. I bit my lip as my hands made contact with Landon's stomach. I looked at Landon and saw him covering his face with a pillow.

I spread the oil on his stomach and began to massage it. I would reach around to also massage the edges of his back. I put pressure on my thumbs and dragged down the middle of his stomach. The sound of a strangled moan knocked me out of my concentration.

"You alright there?" I mocked, smirking. He let out a groan and removed my hands. He pulled down his shirt. He grabbed my wrists and tugged me hard enough to make me land on top of him.

I stared at him with wide eyes as our faces touched.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he asked huskily.

"Did I hurt you?" I asked worriedly. He groaned and rolled me over to his side.

"You're so fucking innocent," he grumbled.

"_Oh_," I said, finally getting it. The heat spread throughout my face. "I wasn't even – "

"I know you weren't," he cut off, "And that's what makes it worse."

I looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You're a subconscious tease," he said with a lazy grin.

"Am not!" I defended. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. He nuzzled my neck and placed a soft kiss on it.

"Don't worry," he grinned, "I think it's attractive."

I scowled and stuck my tongue out at him. "You _would_ think it's attractive," I grumbled.

"Everything about you is attractive," he smiled cheekily.

"You're pushing it, mister," I warned. I took off his arms around me and I got out of the bed.

"Wait! Where are you going?" he asked, watching me.

"You need to eat," I answered. He grinned at me.

"Are you gonna feed me?" he asked me hopefully. I rolled my eyes and turned around to go out. Nevertheless, I couldn't stop the smile that reached my lips.

When I reached the bottom step of the stairs, I looked up to see all of the Fiores and Rouxs grinning at me. I think Adrien and Cassandra had the biggest and brightest grins on their faces.

"What?"

"Nothing, darling," Cassandra smiled.

"Two more days and it's judgment time," Rhia announced rather cheerily.

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

"It's finally time to see if you're really going to stick around," she explained.

"RHIA!" they all scolded.

"What?" she asked innocently, "We all knew that it would eventually come down to this."

I shook my head at her. "I'm not even gonna ask," I told her, "Landon promised he would tell me and I'll hold him to that." The family nodded at me.

"So, what made you come back?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah," Daniel agreed, "I thought you were going to go think."

I shrugged. "I did think," I answered. "That's why I came back as soon as possible."

"You left?" Marc asked with wide eyes.

Ives flicked him in the head. "Ice cream is making you lose your brain cells. Control your child, woman," he joked to Cassandra.

She merely smirked at Ives. "You have less brain cells than Marc, so you shouldn't be talking," she smirked.

"_Burn_," Adrien grinned. I laughed as Ives scowled.

"Wait… so are you guys together now?" Rayne asked.

I stopped mid-step at her question. "Umm…"

"What do you mean 'umm'?" she snapped.

"He hasn't exactly asked me anything yet," I asked awkwardly. She scowled at this information.

"I should set that boy straight," she muttered. Adrien nodded his head, agreeing with her.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter right now," I defended, waving off their unnecessary. " I actually came down to get him some food…"

"Oh! I made him some chicken soup. It's in the kitchen," Adrien quickly said.

"Thanks," I smiled. I got the soup from the kitchen and walked back upstairs. As I entered Landon's room, I saw that he gotten up from the bed. I put the food on his nightstand and helped him get back.

"What the hell were you doing?" I demanded.

"I just went to go get something," he replied, wincing a little bit.

"What's so important that you had to hurt yourself?" I asked, frowning. The smile on his face didn't waver.

He grabbed my wrist that had the charm bracelet and began to latch something on it.

"Landon – "

"I was gonna give you this charm when I ask you to be my girlfriend," he interrupted, though not meeting my eyes.

"Are you asking?" I bit my lip and waited for his next answer… or question.

He finally finished attaching the charm and let me see it. I raised my hand to look at the bracelet. I looked at the charm and saw that it was a flat heart with "B + L" engraved on it.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked with a smile.

I nodded eagerly and kissed him. I felt his chuckle vibrate against my lips.

"Yes!"

* * *

><p>My supposed sleepover was back in action. Rayne offered to lend me clothes for a few days so I agreed. I asked Charlie for permission and he agreed. I've been taking care of Landon since the first night I slept over. However, today is the third day and the supposed dreaded day that everyone's been waiting for.<p>

They all keep insisting that I should go home but I refused to leave Landon's side. They would just give me looks that told me they were uncertain of what my reaction to the incoming event will be.

"What am I supposed to be expecting here?" I asked Ives.

He shook his head at me. "Honestly, Bella, you should go home. You're not supposed to – "

Landon's loud yell cut him off. Ives and I looked at each other with wide eyes. We scrambled to run up to Landon's room. The rest were right behind us, looking just as worried. Ives opened the door and we were faced with a red-eyed Landon. I gasped and covered my mouth. My mind went back to when I saw the same color in Marc's irises.

Landon was kneeling on the floor with his back arched. He screamed as he tried to relieve himself of the pain.

"Landon!" I shrieked, taking a step to go help him. However, Daniel grabbed me and held me back. "What are you doing?" I shouted, "He needs help!"

"He needs to go through this, Bella," Adrien said sternly. I looked helplessly at Landon as I watched him struggle and tremble from the pain. Suddenly, he curled in towards his stomach and then jerked back to a deadly looking arched back.

The next thing I knew, onyx wings sprouted from his back and knocked away some of his stuff. Landon's eyes looked feral but he no longer looked like he was in pain.

I gasped. At the sound of it, Landon's head snapped towards me. Slowly, his eyes turned back to its normal shade of gray as he slowly realized whom I was.

"Bella…" he whispered.

I shook my head at the turn of events.

"No, no, no, no!" I shouted, backing away from all of them. "I thought you guys were human. For once, I thought I was associated with people who are normal. Not… not _birds_," I ranted.

"Bella, you have to understand – " Cassandra tried to explain.

"Understand, what? All this time, I thought that you guys were… I thought…" I whispered.

"Bella," Landon murmured as he tried to approach me. His onyx wings stayed visible and bounced with his every step. He finally stood in front of me, but didn't meet his eyes. Instead, I leaned closed to touch his wings. I petted on of his feathers and marveled at how soft and silky in felt. I eventually looked up to stare into Landon's eyes. "Please, don't be afraid of me," he pleaded, closing his eyes.

"What are you?" I asked in a raspy voice, reaching up to caress his cheek. He leaned further into my touch. He placed his hand on top of mine.

"We're Phoenixes, Bella," Adrien started off.

"And what does that entail?" I asked tiredly.

"We're immortal, we can fly, wield fir, teleport in flames," Rayne began to list off.

"We're telepathic but only among each other and we're telekinetic," Cassandra continued.

I gave Landon a questioning gaze at all the information I was receiving.

"We can carry a lot of weight," Patrick added.

"We can also produce healing tears," Ives said enthusiastically.

"We have shrieking that can deafen or combust someone," Rhia said in a creepy tone.

Landon rolled his eyes at her. "We also have singing abilities that can affect someone else's emotions," he finished.

I shook my head, still not understanding something. "You guys are giving me all this information, but what I don't get is that why did Landon only receive his wings now? Why just now? And why is it that none of you have wings?" I ranted.

"We receive our wings at different ages, Bella. We are not born with them. We have to grow into them," Daniel explained. At the blink of an eye, everyone else's wings appeared before me. They were all different colors. Cassandra's was blue, Patrick's green, Daniel's orange, Adrien's black, Rhia's purple, Marc's dark blue, Ives' bright yellow, and Rayne's maroon.

"How the hell…" I trailed off, my eyes not believing the sight.

"We can choose to make them invisible," Landon explained. When I looked at him, his wings were suddenly gone. I gasped. "But they're always there," he added.

"What about g-getting o-older, then? I thought you were immortal," I stuttered.

"Every Phoenix stays a mortal until he or she grows into their wings. I became immortal as of five minutes ago," he joked lightly, but I didn't laugh.

"And the others?"

"Cassandra and I have been immortal for about five years now. We're late bloomers, you could say. She's really 35 and me 38, but technically we're five years older than that," Adrien explained. I nodded at his answer before looking at the others.

"We all received our wings throughout the past year, Bella, so don't worry. We're really as old as we say we are," Rayne assured. I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief at this.

"I'm a special case, though," Rhia finally spoke up.

"How so?"

"I actually received my wings when I was only four. Something happened though. I kept aging. I don't know why. I think it may have been because I was too young. I had to grow into my wings a bit more. I just stopped aging this past year," she answered. I nodded by was a bit shocked at how young she was when she went through what Landon just did.

"I'm the last one," Landon began to tell me, "That's what was getting me so pissed off. Everyone else has stopped aging while I still did."

"And now?"

"I'm immortal. Well, at least for another fifty years…" he said, trailing off.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Haven't you ever heard of real Phoenix birds? They're said to reincarnate every five hundred to a thousand years. We do the same, but it's every fifty years. It's a process called Blazing. What we do is that we step into a fire and we combust for reincarnation. This allows us to stop aging. If we choose not to Blaze, we would start aging again," Cassandra explained.

"So you do eventually get the choice to age again?" I asked, trying to clarify. Everyone nodded. "Okay, let me get this straight. You're birds… excuse me, _Phoenixes_, and you have a bunch of abilities. You're immortal but can age every fifty years," I summarized.

"Huh," Ives shrugged, "Yeah, that's pretty much us in a nutshell."

"So, you're not human…"

"Nope," Patrick said, popping the 'p.'

"Technically," Landon contradicted. He was looking at me with hopeful eyes.

I sighed. "Well, at least you're not vampires," I said with some relief.

"Vampires?" they all shouted.

I let out a nervous laugh and shuffled my feet. "Yeah… about that…" I trailed off, rubbing the back of my neck. They all looked at me expectantly, fire literally blazing in their eyes. I gulped.

"Well?" Rayne demanded, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.

"What were you doing with vampires?" Daniel asked through clenched teeth. I brought my head down, refusing to meet their accusing looks. Before I could even say anything, Daniel had already figured it out. "The Cullens were vampires, weren't they?" he shouted, "Weren't they?" When I didn't say anything, he growled and left the room, slamming the door. I jumped at the sound of it.

"Bella…" Cassandra said softly.

"I'm sorry," I apologized weakly. I finally brought my head up and stared at the door. "What does Daniel have against vampires?" I asked.

"Vampires killed his family," Cassandra answered. My eyes widened. I started to sputter.

"Why, Bella?" Landon asked with a pained expression on his face.

I took a step towards him but he took a step back. I sighed and explained. I explained everything to them. I started with me moving here up to the point where Edward left me.

"Bella!" Ives shouted, looking appalled, "Vampires are so… they're so… shit! What were you thinking?"

"You were attacked? You could've died!" Landon growled, punching the wall. I jumped with surprise when his fist formed a hole on the wall.

"You don't associate with vampires like that, Bella," Adrien scolded, disbelief laced in his voice.

"Is this what you weren't telling us?" Rayne asked. I nodded.

"I learned my lesson, okay? I don't mean to be rude, but you guys don't need to lecture me," I said to them. They were shocked for a moment but I could tell that they understood.

"We're sorry," Cassandra apologized, "We just… it's hard to believe that a normal human would actually willingly put themselves in that kind of danger."

"And don't you say that it was because you loved that pathetic excuse of a – "

"Patrick," Cassandra scolded.

"What? It's true," he mumbled.

I sighed and leaned against the wall. "Okay, okay. I get it. I'm over it. I'm moving on. Can we forget about me and talk about you guys?"

"We've already told you everything," Rayne said.

"Why would you stay here in Forks though? It's cold and gloomy," I started off.

"That was actually my idea," Ives finally spoke up. I rolled my eyes.

"Why am I not surprised?" I muttered under my breath.

"Hey!" he defended. I laughed at his appalled expression.

"The cold can't bother us because of our heat, but the heat can make us sweat like hell. I, obviously, hate living in hot weather," he pouted.

And just like that, some tension was lifted from the room.

However, I could tell that I still had some unfinished business with both Landon and Daniel. I looked at Rayne and gave her a look. She took a glance at a brooding Landon and nodded her head.

"Guys, we should give the two some space," she told the others. They nodded and filed out towards the door. Before she left, Rayne hugged me and whispered, "This doesn't change anything." I gave her a brief smile and a nod.

I finally turned to look at Landon. He was now sitting on the edge of his bed with his elbows on his lap. His lengthy onyx wings were visibly spread out from behind him. It made him look like an angel to me, an angel that somehow went wrong. I walked towards him, standing right in front of him. His eyes were downcast. I sighed and sat next to him. I took his hand and intertwined our fingers together. I mentally let out a breath of relief when he gripped my hand reassuringly.

"I accept who you are," I told him, breaking the silence, "I accept all of you, wings, attitude, and all. I'm gonna need you to accept everything about me too, including my past."

"Come here," he finally said. He pulled me up and helped me sit on his lap, effectively straddling him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he put his hands on my waist. "I do accept everything about you," he assured. I smiled at this. "I'm just trying to think, to process everything. 'Cuz I mean, a vampire, Bella? Really?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Shut up," I muttered, thumping his chest. He let out a small chuckle. I smiled at the sound of it. "I don't really know. Now that I look back on it, I don't really see what I saw in him. Maybe it was just the idea of being with a perfect guy or the idea of eternity. But I can't even see that future with him anymore," I began to say.

"And with me?" he asked hopefully. I bit my lip and rested my head on his chest.

"I can see it… but how? I can't be immortal," I pointed out. I looked up at him and there was a certain look on his face. I pulled back from him with curiosity. "Unless there's a way…"

"There is," he admitted meekly, "But now's really not the time to think about it. I only want you to do it if you're sure about this, about _us_."

I nodded. "We'll get there," I told him. He smiled and hugged me tight.

"Are you ready for to meet us, Bella? The _real_ us?" Landon asked.

"This doesn't change anything," I assured him with a smile, "It just solidifies everything I've suspected from the start." Landon gave me a questioning look. "I'm not nearly as unobservant as I look," I joked.

"That's not what I – " I laughed, interrupting him.

"I know," I grinned, "I'm just saying. Just because you have wings, it doesn't mean that the personalities I've come to know are any different."

He chuckled a little. "We are pretty much still weird," he said. I smiled and rested my forehead against his. He closed his eyes and smiled. "You're the first Outsider we've ever told," he admitted, "But I'm glad that it was you."

"Me too," I said softly. I looked at him and saw black bags under his eyes. I brought my hands up to caress them. "You look tired," I commented, "Get some sleep." I tried to get off of him but he tightened his grip on me.

"Join me?" he asked. I nodded with a smile. We scooted up on the bed. I curled my body towards his chest. His onyx wings cocooned us together. Landon's arm draped around my waist. "Thank you."

"All I ever did was accept you for who you are. What you and your family have done to me can't compare. You guys helped me moved on. You _fixed_ me. You don't have to thank me for anything," I smiled, cuddling closer to him. His only response was to hold me tighter.

"_You're the only one, you got me, there's no one else around. 'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile,"_ he sang.

My eyes drooped to the sound of his voice. My lips quirked up to make one last smile.

Before falling asleep, I vaguely heard him whisper something, but I didn't quite catch it.

**Well, now that that's out of the way…**

**Did any of you guys expect that? Haha. I bet not. The only person that even got close to the answer was KimberlyAnnT. So props to you girl :)**

**Also, if you guys want to see how the characters look like with their wings, go check out my website. The banner has also been updated :) **teamjacobrulezfanfiction(.)weebly(.)com(/)if-youre-a-bird-im-a-bird(.)html

**Don't forget to REVIEW you guys! Tell me what you think!**

**The song used was Gabe Bondoc's version of Taylor Swift's Sparks Fly.**


	8. All About Us

**Sorry for the late update, guys! I was busy the entire Thanksgiving weekend and I had no time to use a computer with my relatives and all :) Anyways, I hoped you guys enjoyed your Thanksgiving! Finally, here's Chapter 8!**

**WARNING: FLUFF ALERT**

Chapter 8: All About Us

"Rise and Shine!" Ives' cheery voice echoed in the room. I groaned as light hit the back of my eyes. I tried to block the light with my arm but luckily, Landon's wings had already done it for us. I looked up to meet with Landon's happy eyes. He leaned in and kissed me.

"Good morning," he grinned.

"_Oh man_, don't do that when I'm literally right next to you," Ives whined. I chuckled.

"That's disgusting," Patrick's voice joined in, "Besides, you know what time it is."

Landon groaned and buried his face in my shoulder.

"It's… flight practice time!" Marc's unmistakable voice exclaimed.

"Ha! I can't wait to see this," I heard Rhia say with slight excitement.

I chuckled. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

* * *

><p>"FUCK!" Landon yelled as he crashed towards the ground once again.<p>

"Landon!" I shrieked with worry.

Beside me, Rhia rolled her eyes. "Are you seriously going to do that every time he crashes? This is already like the tenth time he's fallen a hundred feet off the ground. Look at him, not one scratch," she pointed out with annoyance.

"I can't help it," I mumbled. My eyes were glued to Landon. He had just gotten up and dusted the dirt off of his clothes. His eyes snapped to mine and gave me a reassuring smile. He once again climbed to the roof of the house. I angled my head and watched him with fascination. His black outfit blended in with his onyx wings. He looked so uncannily like a fallen angel.

He stepped back a few steps and then ran towards the edge, propelling himself off of the roof. I couldn't help the small gasp that bubbled up at the back of my throat. He looked so majestic that it seemed unreal. His wings spread their full length and lifted him off of the ground. I desperately hoped that he would get it right this time.

His first few attempts resulted in him crashing face flat on the ground. The other times, he would manage to stay afloat for a few seconds and then crash once again.

This time, his onyx wings flapped gracefully on his sides and seemed to actually be working. A few seconds turned into a minute, two minutes, three minutes…

"You did it!" I exclaimed happily, clapping my hands. The smile on my lips broadened, as I took into account how joyous he looked. I looked at the others and saw that they, too, were smiling. Even Rhia had the hint of a smile on her lips.

Landon flew in the air for a little while longer. Eventually, he landed on the ground safely. I launched myself into his arms.

"I'm so proud of you," I smiled. He leaned down and pecked my lips.

Adrien's hand came upon Landon's shoulder and he gripped him gently. "I'm proud of you too, son," he grinned merrily. Cassandra was smiling warmly beside him.

"Finally!" Rayne exclaimed, dragging Daniel along.

I avoided Daniel's gaze. Ever since he walked out on me, we haven't talked. I wasn't sure so sure of what to say to him to appease his anger of my actions and decisions.

"Paintball will be so much more fun with you around!" Ives said excitedly.

"Paintball…?" I asked unsurely.

"Don't ask," Patrick answered. I nodded, trusting his obvious opinion of it.

"You can fly now!" Marc exclaimed.

"Big deal," Rhia muttered, but I could tell that she's happy for him too.

Landon's arm tightened around my waist. I gave him a soft smile. I saw a mischievous look in his eyes, but before I could even say anything, he had already lifted us off of the floor. I let out a shriek of panic and attached myself onto him like a leech. I could hear everyone's laughter from below us.

"Don't drop her!" Cassandra scolded. Adrien was booming with laughter.

Landon chuckled as he tightened his grip on me. However, he took in a more serious tone when he said, "I'm not going to drop you." When I didn't say anything, he asked, "Don't you trust me?"

"I-I do!" I sputtered, tightening my grip on him. "I'm just kind of panicking right now. I'm scared of heights."

"I'm not going to let you fall without me there to catch you. I promise," he said sincerely. I let out a shaky breath and nodded. "Okay. Now, can you loosen you grip? You're kind of choking me here," he joked. I blushed but did so. We were technically standing upright except we were in the air. I looked down and saw that the house looked like one of those _Monopoly_ pieces. "Put your feet on mine," he said. I did so, keeping my fingers linked behind his neck.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this," I mumbled.

"I'll change your mind," he said confidently.

"I doubt that," I scoffed. He flushed me to his body, allowing me to smell his minty breath. He leaned down and captured me into a passionate kiss. For a moment, I forgot that we were flying about a hundred feet off of the hard ground.

I allowed him full access to my mouth. While his tongue explored every dip and crevice of my mouth, I played with the hair on the nape of his neck. A low strangled moan vibrated from his throat. We pulled away, gasping for breath. He grinned at me.

"It seems like I'm changing your mind already," he grinned widely.

My eyes widened with realization. "You… you ass!" I blushed madly. During my brief moment of anger, one of my feet slid off of Landon's and I slipped. Landon caught me almost immediately, but I couldn't help the erratic beating of my heart.

"You alright?" he asked, holding in a laugh.

"Landon Drew Fiore! Bring me down this instant!"

* * *

><p>"How was it?" Rayne asked as we entered the house. I huffed and plopped down on one of the couches, crossing my arms.<p>

"What happened?" Ives asked, laughing at my wild-looking state. My hair was probably frazzled and my cheeks a bright red. I glared mildly at Landon, who held his hands up in defense.

"It was your fault."

"My fault?" I asked appalled. "You were the one who – " I stopped quickly, realizing that I was just about to talk about our mid-air make out session.

"Well?" he asked teasingly.

"Nothing," I grumbled, blushing uncontrollably.

"It must be something if you're blushing like that," Daniel commented, talking to me for the first time. My eyes widened slightly at his voice. He gave me a reassuring smile and a nod. I sighed in relief. _Thank God, we're okay._

"Yeah, what did you do out there?" Patrick asked with a knowing grin.

"Why don't you tell them, Bella?" Landon pushed on further. I let out an aggravated cry and stalked my way to 'my' room. I could hear their booming laughter behind me.

I closed my door, expecting it to slam shut, but it didn't. I turned around in confusion until I saw Landon holding the door open. He was looking at me sheepishly.

"How the – " He gently closed the door and brought me into an embrace. I couldn't help but melt in his arms. I sighed contentment. "I'm not mad," I assured, "Annoyed, yes, but not mad."

He pulled back and gave me a smile. "But you enjoyed the kiss, yes?" he grinned.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, Landon. I enjoyed it."

* * *

><p>Sadly, the winter break had finally come to its end. I went back home two days ago, much to the Fiores' demise. For the first time in a long time, I was actually excited to go to school. However, that thought immediately went down the drain once I stepped foot onto the school's property. As if I was some famous celebrity, everyone was looking at me and scrutinizing me with hateful eyes. I could tell that their hushed whispers were about me.<p>

I quickly looked around to see if any of the Fiores had arrived. Ives' face was the first one I spotted. I've never been happier to see him in my life.

"Ives!" I exclaimed, bounding over it him. I could feel the other students' stares burning through my back, but I managed to ignore them.

"Bella!" he said with as much enthusiasm.

"Where's everybody?" I asked, not seeing anybody else.

He shrugged. "They were taking too long," his voice soon lowered into a whisper, "so I _flew_ here."

"Won't they see you flying up in the air?" I asked worriedly.

He chuckled. "We can't turn invisible like our wings, but we can camouflage to our surroundings. We can't camouflage for the heck of it, though. It's only if we want to stay hidden when flying," he explained. I nodded with understanding.

Two girls who walked by us gave me a dirty look. I raised an eyebrow, challenging them. "What the hell is up with these people?" I grumbled, scrunching up my nose in annoyance.

Ives grinned at me. "Whoa, Bella! I didn't know you were sleeping with Landon and me at the same time!"

My eyes bugged out. "WHAT?" I shrieked.

"The two most eligible bachelors of Forks High are taken by you," he teased. However, I didn't laugh.

"Is that what everyone's been whispering about?" I demanded. He nodded his head, albeit excitedly. "What are you so excited about?" I snapped.

"Because you're pissed, and that means whoever spread the rumor will probably take some crap from you. Yay!" he exclaimed, jumping happily. I rolled my eyes at him.

"You really want to see me punch someone again, don't you?" He nodded eagerly.

"Punch, who?" A pair of arms wrapped themselves around my waist. My lips curled up into a smile as I leaned into the embrace. Landon rested his chin on my shoulder and kissed my cheek.

"Apparently, I've been sleeping with you and Ives," I answered, my annoyance coming back.

Landon just laughed. "As if you'd ever sleep with Ives," he joked. I couldn't help but laugh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ives demanded, mocking hurt.

"It means you're not sexy enough for Bella," Daniel piped in. Everyone else appeared beside him.

"I am too!" Ives contradicted, "Right, Bella?"

"Sorry, Ives, but it's true," I chuckled.

He huffed, "Whatever. Someone else will appreciate my sexiness."

"Keep dreaming," Patrick told him, rolling his eyes.

Rayne looked at me with bright eyes. "So, do you have any idea who could have spread the rumors?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>LUNCH<strong>_

"Looks like our own little slut has finally made an appearance," Lauren's annoying voice said. I turned around from my place in the lunch line and stared her down. She has a couple of inches over me, but I didn't back down. She's already pissed me off way too much.

I looked at her with mock innocence. "_Oh_, we're talking about you, right?" I tell you, the look on her face was fucking priceless.

Everyone was looking at us now. I could see the Fiores, from the corner of my eye, watching the scene.

Lauren lifted her hand to slap me. I raised my chin defiantly.

"Is that all you got? Go on, then. Slap me," I challenged.

She panicked at my unexpected confidence. She dropped her hand and settle for something else.

"You're not worth it," she sneered, "So, is Landon good in bed?" I smirked.

"You know what? He is. It's just too bad that you'll never experience it, because he would never settle for trash," I spat at her.

I could literally see the steam coming out from her ears. "And Ives? You're such a two-timing whore," she accused.

"Really, Lauren. Stop talking about yourself. It's not healthy," I leered. I smirked and turned around, leaving her with a dropped jaw. I walked over to the Fiores, who were all giving me amused looks, and sat down as if nothing had happened.

Lauren let out a cry of frustration and stomped out of the cafeteria. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips. Everyone in the cafeteria was still looking at me. Their eyes were wide and their jaws were gaping.

"What?" I demanded from them. They shook their heads and finally looked away. However, I could still hear the whispers. I looked at the Fiores. They were all grinning at me.

"That – "

"Was – "

"Awesome!" Ives finished.

I laughed and scooted over to Landon. "Nah," I modestly denied, shaking my head.

"Someone's got confidence!" Rayne wooted.

"You really burned her," Daniel grinned.

"She deserved it," I shrugged.

"You're my hero," Patrick said dreamily. I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"So, I'm good in bed, huh?" Landon joked, playfully pinching my side. I blushed.

"If she's spreading rumors about crap she doesn't know, then let her believe what she wants," I told him.

"Damn right!" Ives agreed.

"I didn't admit to sleeping with you," I pointed out to Ives.

He pouted. "You're no fun!" he whined. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Besides," Landon smirked, "You did technically sleep with me, like five times."

Everybody groaned.

"Gross, guys! Gross!"

I looked at Landon and laughed. He grinned, pulling me tighter.

* * *

><p>"Are you coming over today?" Daniel as the two of us emerged from the gym. Rayne and Ives had to go do something. I didn't bother asking what.<p>

"Actually, I was gonna introduce Landon to Charlie today." He smiled warmly at me.

"You guys are that serious already?" he joked. I playfully hit his arm.

"Considering I know about you're _secret_, I'd say we are."

"Hey, Bella?" he suddenly asked, taking on a much serious tone.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for the way I walked out on you. I just really have a bad past with vampires," he sighed.

"What happened, anyways?"

"My parents were never ready to have a child. They'd been Phoenixes for a while. They didn't have me until they were Phoenixes for forty years. They loved me. They said that I was the best thing that's ever happened to them. I knew all about the mythical world. It was a never a secret to me," he started.

"I was ten when it happened. It had been their fifty-year anniversary as Phoenixes. They were going to let me see them Blaze for the first time. I was so excited for them to come home. Cassandra was there that night. She was babysitting me. If you didn't know, Cassandra's my grandmother."

My eyes slightly widened at the piece of information, but I nodded.

"Anyways, before my parents could even get home, Cassandra and I got a call saying that my parents had gotten into an accident and that they were dead."

He choked on his own voice and I could see his eyes brimming with tears, I soothingly rubbed his back. "Cassandra and I rushed to the site. The moment I saw my parents, I saw the bite marks on the necks. I knew then that it was no accident. That vampire, whoever it was, attacked my parents when they were most vulnerable. They were practically mortals when he attacked them. I just… everytime I think about it… I want to – "

"I'm sorry," I said, trying to console him. He chuckled bitterly.

"I hate vampires, Bella. I hate every last one of them. That's why I have no idea what the hell was going through your mind when you associated with one of them."

"It's hard to explain," I sighed, "but it's in the past already. I've learned to let go."

"Thankfully," he muttered.

"Thanks for sharing with me." He gave me a small smile.

"You needed to understand why I feel the way I feel." I sighed.

"Should we get back?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Let's go."

* * *

><p>"What took you guys so long?" Landon asked as we joined them.<p>

"We talked," I answered. He gave me a look that said that he understood. "So, you ready to meet my dad?"

Rayne chuckled. "Yeah, Landon. Are you ready?"

"Remember, Landon. The dude's a cop," Ives reminded him.

"I hope he shoots you."

"Patrick!" we all scolded. He grinned.

"I'm just joking!" he laughed.

"Don't listen to them," I assured Landon. He looked at me with slight worry. "He already likes you, remember?"

"You sure?"

I stretched on my tippy toes and pecked his lips.

"Ugh!"

"_You guys!_"

"Keep that away from me!"

I laughed at their protests and grinned at Landon.

"I'm sure."

* * *

><p>Landon and I separated from the others and started to make our way towards my house. He reached over, keeping one hand on the wheel, and grabbed my hand. I looked up and smiled at him.<p>

"Are you alright?" I asked him. He gave me a reassuring smile.

"I'll admit. I'm a bit scared," he replied shakily.

"Only a bit?" I teased. He scowled and stuck his tongue out. "Honestly, Landon. Chill the fuck out," I laughed. He grinned at me.

"You know I love it when you cuss, baby," he joked.

I blushed. "Shut up," I muttered, but I couldn't help but smile.

We kept a comfortable silence until Landon finally pulled up into my driveway. I had already gotten out but he stayed inside. I knocked on his window and gave him a look. He took a deep breath and finally got out. I could tell that he was ready to go back inside the car, so I slammed the car door shut.

"Bella, I don't think I can do this," he panicked. I gave him a mock gasp.

"Don't tell me that Mr. Hot Badboy is actually scared of the Big Bad Cop," I teased with innocent eyes. His eyes began to narrow at me. "I mean, I thought you're supposed to be fearless, not scared shitless." I knew that look. I squealed and tried to run towards the house. Keyword: tried. He had caught me before I could even reach for the keys.

His arms snaked around my waist from behind and picked me up from the floor. I laughed.

"I'm so getting you back for that one," he teased; his breath tickling my neck. I shivered and bit my lips.

"I'll hold you to that," I grinned. I turned around and let him pin me to the door.

"Yeah?" His voice took on a much huskier tone. I nodded slowly and stretched up on my toes. His head tilted down to meet me halfway, but we were quickly interrupted. We both groaned.

"Ahem," my next door neighbor, Mr. Jensen, coughed. I blushed a deep red. Landon moved behind me.

"Hello, Mr. Jensen," I greeted, embarrassed.

"Is your father home?" he asked suspiciously. I heard Landon's snicker. I smacked him subtly.

"Not at the moment, but he'll be here soon," I told Mr. Jensen.

"Uh huh," he nodded unsurely, "Alright then." I gave him an awkward wave. Once he was out of sight, Landon broke out laughing.

"That was _so_ not funny," I scowled, finally opened the front door.

"Of course it was! He probably thought that I was gonna maul you or something."

I eyed him up and down. "Well, you fit the part."

"Hey!" he defended. I chuckled.

"Just kidding," I sang, showing him my teeth. He laughed. I bounded to the kitchen and began to get out pots and pans. "Can you cook?" I asked him. He grinned.

"Of course," he smiled, "You _are_ talking to one of Adrien's children."

"How could I forget?" I said sarcastically. He wrapped his arms around me once again.

"So, what's on the menu?" he asked.

"I thought we'd cook Charlie's favorite, roast beef. Gotta butter him up for you, right?" I asked cheekily.

"_Oh_, that's one of my specialties," he bragged with a smirk.

"Everything's your specialty," I said, rolling my eyes.

"You know it."

I chuckled and began to get the ingredients out.

I put some music for us while we got cooking. True to his word, Landon _could_ cook. He's more of a natural at it than I am and that's saying something. The roast beef was currently cooking in the oven.

I sighed and jumped on the counter. Landon moved to stand between my legs.

"So, I was thinking…"

"Uh oh. That's not a good thing," I joked. He playfully scowled at me. He took my hands and held them. I looked down at our joined hands and then back to his face.

"Bella, I – "

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

"Oh, shit!" I shrieked as the fire alarm went off. I jumped off of the counter and opened the oven swiftly. I sighed in relief. The beef wasn't burned. Landon grabbed one of the dishtowels and helped me fan off the smoke. The heat in the kitchen made a dribble of sweat drop from my forehead.

"Are you alright" Landon chuckled.

I gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm just glad that the beef didn't burn."

"Watch this," he smirked. He held out one of his palms and began moving his fingers in a wave-like motion. In no more than a second, the smoke began to swirl towards Landon's palm. I held in my gasp. The kitchen soon became void of smoke.

"How the hell…" I trailed off in astonishment.

"One of the many perks of being a Phoenix is you can basically control anything that has to do with fire," he grinned.

"Most legit thing ever!"

He chuckled. He gently pinned me to the counter, placing both bands on either side of me. "I swear. Ives is really starting to rub off on you," he groaned, "I don't like it."

"Aww, are you jealous?"

"No, not even," he denied.

"Denial is not only a river in Egypt," I quoted. This only deepened his frown. I chuckled. I used my two index fingers and lifted the corner of his lips. "Turn that frown upside down," I smiled softly.

He grinned at this and leaned down to rub our noses together. I giggled with contentment.

"You always know the right things to say. God, I lo – "

"Ahem."

I jumped in surprise and moved out of Landon's grip.

"Hey, Dad," I greeted nervously, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. Landon gave me a sly smile.

"Chief Swan," he said politely, holding out a hand.

_That ass! Where the hell did his panicked demeanor go?_

I bit my lips at Charlie's assessing eyes. Instead of shaking his hand, Charlie went straight for a hug. My jaw dropped.

Charlie smiled. "Please, call me Charlie! I'm glad to have finally met the person who's brought that smile back into my little girl's face," he exclaimed.

"It was my pleasure," Landon smiled modestly.

"That's it?" I accidentally blurted, "No threats? Not even a hard glare? What kind of father are you?"

Charlie and Landon were both amused by my outburst. They took a look at each other and laughed. I blushed profusely. I hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"I told you that I already liked him," Charlie shrugged, "Why bother?"

"B-but with E-Edward you – " He cut me off almost immediately.

"I didn't like him way before I even met him. There's a difference," he said a bit harshly.

"If it counts for anything. I don't like him either," Landon piped up. Charlie beamed at him.

"Atta boy!" he grinned proudly. I shook my head at the two of them, but I couldn't help the smile that graced my lips.

"So Dad, would you like to sit at the table? I'll just get the food," I told Charlie. He nodded.

Landon chuckled at me as soon as Charlie left. "You act like you _want_ him to hate me," he joked.

"It's not that. I'm just shocked.

"That he actually likes me?" I shook my head.

"No, not that. I'm just shocked that he didn't even give you a single glare. He must like you _that_ much," I explained. He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"What can I say?" he sighed cockily. "I'm just so damn likeable."

I rolled my eyes but I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. "You're so cocky. I swear."

"Ah, but you love it," he grinned.

I pecked his lips. "I do."

We got the food ready and joined Charlie in the dining room. Charlie was giving me an amused smile. I felt uncomfortable, blushing madly. I hid my face covered from him as we began to eat. I'd take quick glances at Landon, who was smiling at my Dad as they talked. I smiled to myself as I watched and listened to their conversations. It warmed my heart to know that they got along so well.

After a while, dinner with Charlie was close to its end. Landon helped me put the dishes in the kitchen before we went out, so that he could say goodbye.

"It was really great to meet you, Charlie," Landon smiled.

"You too. Remember, you're welcome anytime. Just no sleepovers, alright?"

I whined and hid myself in Landon's chest. "Dad…"

"Scout's honor," Landon promised, saluting Charlie.

"I really think that this one's a keeper, Bells," Charlie commented.

I finally pulled away from hiding and looked up into Landon's eyes. They were currently hazel. I found myself getting lost in the green specks that floated on the rim of his irises.

"I think so too," I smiled. Landon and Charlie hugged one more time. I walked him out and watched as he brought his motorcycle down from the back of my truck. "I'm really happy you guys hit it off."

He motioned me over. His arms snaked around my waist and he flushed me to him. "I'm in this for the long haul," he said softly. I closed my eyes as he rested his forehead against mine. He placed gentle kisses on my jaw. I breathed contently. "Bella, I – "

My eyes snapped open and I gazed into his eyes intensely. "Yeah?" I asked hopefully.

He shook his head instead. "It's nothing," he brushed off. I couldn't help the disappointment that flowed through me.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I nodded. He placed a final kiss on my forehead before driving away.

I sighed as I watched him drive away. I should have just said it first. They were only three words, but they held so much meaning.

_I love you._

* * *

><p>Before any of us even knew it, January had flown by. February was making its presence known as red and pink hearts covered the school's hallways. Tomorrow's the dreaded Valentine's Day.<p>

"Stop being such a Debbie Downer," Rayne scolded.

"I just hate how everyone's literally making out in the halls. Well, more than usual anyways."

Rayne smirked. "Aren't you and Landon one of those couples?" she teased. I blushed.

"That's completely different!"

"And how so?"

"Those people make out with each other and throw the L-word around like it's nothing! It's really pissing me off, Rayne, like, no lie. Love is a word that's lost its meaning because people don't know how to rightfully use it. Being someone's boyfriend or girlfriend or even someone's fuck buddy doesn't mean you're in love," I ranted.

"Wow, you're really getting worked up about this," she said with wide eyes.

I let out a huge breath. "Of course."

"So… you're saying that you and Landon are different because…"

"Because I actually love him!"

I gasped and covered my mouth. I looked at Rayne with wide eyes. She looked completely ecstatic.

"I knew it!" she clapped and bounced happily.

"Shit! I didn't mean to say that out loud," I cursed.

"Since when?"

"Dinner with Charlie," I sighed. I might as well tell her. She's going to pester me about it anyways.

"That was like a month ago!" she shrieked in disbelief. I flinched.

"Well, sorry!" I cried out, "I haven't exactly had the best experience with those three words!"

"Well, are you going to tell him?"

I shook my head 'no.' "I'm not ready to admit it to him. Hell, I haven't even really admitted it to myself."

"Bella…" she warned, "Please don't make Landon feel like he's waiting for nothing."

"He's not! I just… I need to think about it," I sighed.

"You two are the most stubborn people I've ever met," she muttered.

I spied the rest of the family heading towards us.

"Just leave it, okay? I'll tell him on my own time." She gave me a disapproving look but nodded anyways.

"What's up?" Ives bounced in front of us. We did our usual fist bump.

"Hey," Landon smiled. Even though we've been friends for four months and a couple for a little over a month, his smile never failed to make me blush and to make my heart skip a beat.

"Hi," I grinned back. Rayne snickered. I threw her a glare.

"You guys are the most disgusting couple ever," Patrick gagged.

"Yeah. You're worse than us," Daniel added, wrapping himself around Rayne. "And that's saying something."

"It's already been a month. Shouldn't your honeymoon stage be over already?"

I smacked Ives. "Don't jinx it for us, you jerk!"

**##########**

"Oh, come on, Bella! Why the fuck not?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because I said so, and I hate stupid school dances."

"Please?" I gave Rayne a firm no. Landon soon walked in to see Rayne clinging to my leg. He gave us a raised eyebrow.

"Landon, please convince Bella to go to the Valentine's Day!" I gave him a glare.

"Actually…" Silence enveloped us as Rayne and Landon had a silent conversation.

"Hey! That's not fair!" I whined, feeling out of the loop. _Damn them and their stupid telepathic crap._

I looked at Rayne and say a smile slowly forming on her face. She finally let go of me.

"Fine. You don't have to go," she said… _happily_. What the fuck?

Before I could even question her, she bounced out of the room.

"What the hell was that about?" I demanded. He shrugged but smirked. "That's not fair!"

"Life's not fair, _beautiful_," he grinned. I blushed at the pet name he's been using for the past couple of weeks. I crossed my arms defiantly and pouted. Landon chuckled. "It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises," I muttered. He smirked and pecked my lips.

"You'll like this one. I promise," he said. I sighed and finally relented.

"Now that that's settled," Rayne said with finality as she appeared again.

"I thought you left."

"Nope! I just went to go get my bag. We're going shopping!" she exclaimed. I looked helplessly at Landon.

"I thought I said I wasn't going to – "

"It's not for the dance," she said matter-of-factly, glancing at Landon.

"Then, what's it for?" I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously at the both of them.

"It's a surprise."

"Fuck you, guys." I stomped out of the house. Rayne followed after me, giving me the puppy dog eyes that she knows I can't resist. I ripped my truck's door open. "Damn it! Get in before I change my mind."

Her eyes lit up and she quickly got in. I grumbled and took off.

* * *

><p>"You're not going to make me do anything stupid again, are you?" I asked Ives suspiciously. "The last time I was anywhere alone with you, you made it sound like we were having sex."<p>

He grinned at me. "It's nothing like that. I swear."

It's the fourteenth of February and I'm stuck with Ives when I should be with Landon. Rayne had forced me to wear the dress we bought yesterday. I was patiently waiting for Landon, but Ives has also forced me to go to the park with him. He swore that it was going to be real quick. He said that he may have dropped his phone and that he was scared to go alone. I didn't even bother to comment on it.

I squinted my eyes, trying to see as much as I could in the dark.

"Hey, are you sure it's – "

_I'm bringing sexy back! Hey!_

My eyes snapped to Ives' pocket, which was now lit up.

"Huh," he smiled sheepishly. "Guess I never lost it."

I narrowed my eyes and opened my mouth to yell, "You little shit! You dragged me out here for nothing!"

"Hey! Don't shoot the delivery guy!"

"Deli – Delivery guy? What are you talking about? It's don't shoot the messenger!" I yelled in frustration.

Instead of a response, all I heard was a faint chuckle. My eyes widened with horror. I waved my arms out in front of me, trying to grab a hold of Ives. I made contact with only air. "IVES!" I shrieked, "I'm going to fucking kill you when I – "

I shut myself up when a bright light appeared. My eyes automatically squinted at the sudden change of brightness. I was stunned to see that it was the same gazebo I had found Landon in. I took a step towards it, but looked down to see a trail of petals leading to the gazebo. I could feel my heart beating with anticipation.

I slowly followed the trail, my feet rustling with grass. When I reached the steps of the gazebo, I finally looked up. My throat dried up as soon as I saw Landon patiently waiting and smiling for me. As I began to make my way towards him, music began to play. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing would come out.

He held out his hand towards me. I smiled and took a hold of it. Slowly, we began to dance.

"I'm glad you made it," he whispered as he twirled me around. I rested my cheek against his chest. His fingers gently caressed my back, while I played with the hair on the nape of his neck. I let out a small squeak when he suddenly lifted me off of the floor. He placed me to step on his feet.

I chuckled. "I'm heavy," I informed.

He grinned. "You weigh nothing, Bella," he laughed. He was able to spin us around much better this time. I gripped onto him much tighter. "I'm not gonna let you fall," he said softly.

I smiled. "I know you won't," I said, my voice thick with emotion. I took a deep breath and decided that it was a good time as it could be. "But you already have," I added. I kept my face hidden from him.

However, he didn't say anything. Either he didn't hear me or he misunderstood. I didn't bother to comment on his silence. I was crestfallen, but I let him continue to dance with me.

Suddenly, his lips came close to my ear. I closed my eyes and expected the worst to come out of his lips. "_Lovers dance when they're feeling in love. Spotlight's shining, it's all about us_," he sang. My heart bounced at his choice of lyrics.

My eyes fluttered open as I felt him tilt my chin up. He looked deeply into my eyes. Although it didn't match the music, he still sang, "_Eyes on you, eyes on me. We're doing this right_."

My breath caught on my throat. He placed a soft kiss on my lips, and another. And another. And another… He rested our foreheads against each other.

"I love you," he breathed out confidently, "I don't think I can ever _not_ love you. You're it for me, Bella. My _beautiful_ Bella. There will never be anyone else." My eyes lit up and my heart bounced happily. I grabbed his neck and crashed our lips into a passionate kiss. His arms tightened around my waist as I pushed myself closer to him.

"I love you too," I murmured against his lips. I could feel him smile through our kiss. He picked me up off of the floor and spun us around. I laughed merrily.

He finally set me back on the ground. A grin was wide on his face. I must have mirrored him. I reached up and touched his cheek. "You made me fall for you, Landon Drew Fiore, and it's the best damn thing that's even happened to me."

He grabbed my wrist and touched the charm bracelet on it. He was attaching yet another charm. "There," he grinned. I held the bracelet close and saw the charm. It was a gazebo that looked very much like the one we're currently in. "To remind you where we first said 'I love you,'" he smiled.

I stretched up and kissed him once more before we continued to dance.

"I wouldn't have forgotten either way."

**Yeah. I'm going to the corner and throw up from all the mushyness now :D**

**How'd you guys like it? They finally dropped the L-word to each other. Yay! Btw, the part I wrote about love slowly losing its meaning because of stupid people is really what I think. I guess both Bella and I just feel the same way :) How about you?**

**From here on out, things are going to start to settle for Bella and Fiores. I'll hint you guys in on a secret. There's only 2 more chapters until... OOPS. Nevermind. Hehe :)**

**P.S. The song used was All About Us by He Is We. Please check them out. It's a great band :)**

**Don't forget to REVIEW guys. You know... if you want to :]**


	9. Letting Go

**This chapter is pretty much a rather long filler. Well, not really a filler. Okay, kind of. It's pretty much settles the first part of this story. Yes, there are going to be TWO parts to this story. The second part happens in the next chapter. OH SHIT. You guys excited? Remember when I said, "In two more chapters..." Yeah, well that's what I meant :) ****Actually, a LOT of things are going to happen next chapter.**

**HappyKitty95: Yeah, I know. There are a lot of time jumps in this story. I'm sorry if it does get annoying. But don't fret, the time jumps will end soon.**

**Like I was telling HappyKitty95, YES, the time jumps will end soon. In fact, it's going to end next chapter :) That's also one of the things that will happen next chapter. Actually, the most major time jump will happen in the next chapter. After that, the pace of this story will pretty much mellow out. **

**Also, I haven't really made Renee and Phil a big part in this story. Yeah, they won't really make much of an appearance, even in this chapter.**

**Yeah, sorry about that :) I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 9: Letting Go

**Bella POV**

Even when I was still a freshman back in Arizona, I've heard that high school will, not only be the best four years of your life, but also the four fastest years of your life. You could be a freshman one minute, and a senior the next. I'm certainly feeling the effects of it now.

Waiting in line behind Jessica, during the graduation ceremony, isn't really what I had in mind for this perfect day. I can tell that she's itching to bitch at me for making her last couple of years miserable, taking away the spotlight from her and Lauren. Imagine my surprise when she turned around looking _apologetic._ Jessica… apologetic… Ives is going to have a field day with this one.

"Bella, I'm so…" she trailed off, biting her lip nervously.

"Yes?" I asked encouragingly. She sighed and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you ever since you've been here," she finally spit out. I raised an eyebrow.

"You weren't _entirely_ a bitch in the beginning," I pointed out. She laughed uneasily.

"Actually… I haven't always talked so fondly of you, even when I was being nice," she admitted. I wasn't shocked at the piece of information.

"It's okay," I assured her and myself. After all, what are the chances that I'd see her after this day anyways?

She beamed at me. "Seriously?" I nodded. She squealed and hugged me. I was tense at first, but I slowly returned it. "I can't believe we're graduating. Can you?" she asked after pulling away. I smiled softly as we began to converse.

After a few minutes of an actual decent conversation, it was time for the S's to be called up.

"Jessica Stanley!" the Principal announced. I gave her a bright smile as she climbed up the stage. I wooted for her, despite the bad blood we once shared. While Jessica was shaking hands with the school board, I took the chance to search.

I looked left and caught eyes with Daniel, who was still walking down the aisle. He waved at me and I grinned. I looked again and this time caught eyes with Landon. He had gotten his diploma much earlier, considering his last name started with an F. He gave me two thumbs up and his heart-stopping grin. My breath caught in throat as I smiled back.

"Isabella Swan!"

I could distinctly hear the Fiores and Charlie's cheers. I met Charlie's eyes briefly from the stands. He gave me the proudest smile he could. I smiled and nodded at him. Rene and Phil were standing beside him. I waved at them too. I took a deep breath and took my turn towards the future. I stepped on the stage and shook hands with all of the school board. I smiled at them as they said their 'Congratulations.' Once I reached the Principal, she gladly handed me my diploma.

She knew of the hard struggle I had during those few months. I was dangerously close to not graduating. Luckily, that was around the time the Fiores had shown up at Forks.

"I'm so proud of you, Bella," she smiled. I grinned at her and merrily shook her hand.

I finally made my way towards the aisle. Landon and Daniel cheered loudly as I passed them. I couldn't wipe the grin on my face.

As soon as the ceremony finished, I launched out of my seat in search for Landon. Even in the massive crowd of people and hats being thrown everywhere, I knew exactly where to find him. As soon as we met each other's eyes, both of our lips curled up into smiles. I ran at him full force, jumping on him. He caught me easily as I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

I laughed as he brushed our noses against each other. "We're finally done!" I exclaimed with glee. He grinned and kissed me softly.

"About time too," he smiled against my lips.

"Ahem." I blushed and slowly got off of Landon. I turned around to see Charlie and the Fiores smirking at us. Landon chuckled as he hugged me to him.

"Congratulations, you guys!" Rayne beamed while she linked arms with Daniel. I nodded at Daniel at a 'Sup?' kind of way. He smirked back at me, doing the same thing.

"This is so not fair," Ives whined, "I still have one more year with this chick." Rayne thumped him on the chest.

"Wanna run that by me again?" she snapped. He laughed and held his hands up in defense.

"I'm still here too, you know," Patrick grumbled, obviously ticked off. Ives grinned widely at him.

"Oh, I forgot about you there for a second," he said cheekily.

"Fucker," he spat.

"Whiner."

"Hey, break it up boys," Cassandra laughed. She walked to both Landon and I and gave us a big hug. "Don't mind them. I'm proud of you guys," she smiled, kissing our cheeks.

"Thank you," I grinned. Landon did the same.

"How does it feel to be out of high school?" Charlie asked us. I looked up at Landon and Daniel. We all grinned at each other.

"Awesome!"

The family laughed at us with the exception of Marc and Rhia. Cassandra and Adrien had originally planned for the two of them to come, but they had school today, and neither wanted to skip, which was odd, considering Marc would usually do anything to stay home and Rhia didn't want to associate with _children._

"_La Bella Italia?_" Adrien suggested with a wink. I grinned at him and nodded eagerly.

"We'll meet up there?" I offered to my Dad. He nodded and pulled me off of Landon for a brief moment. He hugged me and kissed my forehead.

"I'm proud of you, kiddo," he smiled softly. I smiled and squeezed him.

"Thank you for everything, Dad."

We pulled away and got into our respective cars. Landon and I took my truck with his motorcycle in the back. Landon may not admit it, but I can tell that he's gotten attached to my car, no matter how _vintage_ it may be.

I sat on the passenger seat and held Landon's hand. I scooted over and rested my head on his shoulder. His thumb caressed the back of my hand. I smiled.

"What's after this, Landon?" I asked contently.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are we going to the same college? Am I gonna keep aging while you're not?" There. I finally asked the question I've been dying to ask him. He told me before that he wanted me to be sure of _us_ before I decided anything. Well, I'm sure _now_.

His shoulders slumped as he sighed. He slowly got off of the road and parked to side. He turned towards me and held both of my hands in his.

"Are you sure about this, Bella?" he asked seriously. "I know how I feel about you and I know how you feel about me, but this is a big decision. I don't want you to turn your back on everything for me, no matter how much I'd like you too."

I gave him a small smile. I cupped his face and lowered his face onto mine. He fervently returned the kiss, tugging me on his lap. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled away enough so that only our noses were touching.

"I've known you for eight months. You've been my best friend for a little bit over than seven months. You've been my boyfriend for six months and twenty-three days. I'd say I'm pretty damn sure," I murmured tenderly.

"Six months, twenty-three days, _and_ two hours," he grinned, gazing into my eyes. I closed my eyes as I chuckled. He pecked me once, twice, and thrice. "How does Thanksgiving sound?" he asked.

"It sounds pretty good to me," I grinned. He smiled broadly and hugged me to him. "A bit more of humanity wouldn't hurt."

"Are you saying that we're not humane?" he joked. I playfully smacked his back.

"No. Stop twisting my words. I'm just saying, I'd be saying goodbye to getting older, which don't get me wrong, is a good thing. I just don't know how I could face Charlie ten, fifteen, twenty years from now and still look like my eighteen-year-old self."

"We could always clue him in," Landon offered. I pulled back from the hug and stared him down.

"You'd let me do that?" I asked, delighted. He chuckled but nodded.

"Of course. Besides, he likes us and we like him. Adrien has a field day with making him taste everything he cooks."

I laughed, nodding. It was definitely true. Ever since Adrien found out about Charlie's affinity for anything edible, he'd taken a liking to making him his food taster. Charlie was more than happy to oblige.

"So… how does the process happen exactly?"

He hesitated. "Umm, how about we cross that bridge when we get there?" he nearly pleaded. I somehow understood his hesitation about it, so I nodded. He smiled. "Thanks."

"I get it. I saw what you went through firsthand. I get why you're so iffy on it," I understood.

"Yeah, I don't want to put you through that. You saw how bad my transformation was. Yours will be a lot worse, considering you won't be able to grow into it like the rest of us did. It's just going to happen almost immediately," he finally explained. I flinched at his description.

I took a deep breath. "I can take it," I said courageously. He chuckled and pecked my lips.

"I know you can."

"This is the start of our future," I stated, smiling at him. He grinned.

"I can't wait to have a future with you," he said softly, staring into my eyes.

I leaned in towards his embrace. "Me either."

He finally pulled up on _La Bella Italia's_ parking lot. We intertwined our fingers as we made our way inside. Daniel was leaning casually on the side of the door. We looked at him questioningly.

"They wouldn't let me inside unless I was with you guys," he explained.

"They do know that you can hear them, right?" Landon chuckled. Daniel smirked.

"I know. They don't really give a shit," he laughed.

"Alright, you guys," I spoke up, "I think it's about time we walked in." I opened the door and gasped.

"Surprise!" everyone cheered. Adrien was grinning cheekily at me. _Freaking Adrien_, I laughed to myself. Daniel, Landon, and I looked at each other and grinned. I moved to give Charlie a hug.

"You know I hate surprises," I muttered against his chest.

"The three of you deserve this," I could hear the smile in his voice, "_You_ deserve this after everything you've been through."

"Thank you, Dad. Really," I beamed.

"Alright, none of this mushy stuff," he smirked, "Now, go say thank you to Adrien. He's the one that planned this anyways." I nodded and swiftly hugged Adrien.

"Thanks, Adrien," I grinned.

"No problem, Bella."

"You just love throwing parties, don't you?" I teased. "You brought the entire Forks in here!"

He laughed. "I do anything I can to show off my skills," he grinned. Cassandra appeared next to him, smiling.

"Stop hogging, Bella, Adrien," she joked, taking me away from his arms. I chuckled and hugged her back.

"Thank you, Cassandra."

"Anything for you and the boys. You're already family," she smiled.

"Bella!" I heard Ives and Rayne shrieked. Cassandra pulled away just in time for the two of them to jump on me.

"You guys," I whined, laughing. Ives ruffled my hair with a grin.

"I can't believe you're out of high school already," Rayne pouted. Ives agreed with her. Patrick appeared behind them.

"There's no one to defend me against these two, now," he frowned. I patted his cheek.

"I thought you said that you didn't need defending," I said with mirth.

"Well, I take it back." I chuckled and hugged him.

"It's only college, you guys. It's like I'm going away forever," I pointed out.

"Still," the three of them complained. I just shook my head at them.

"Bella!" Marc's unmistakable voice shouted. I grinned as I saw him running towards me, Rhia lagging behind. I kneeled down and opened my arms for him to run into.

"Hey, Munchkin," I greeted. "I thought you guys were at home."

Rhia finally managed to catch up. "Not really. We just asked Adrien to leave us here. Besides, graduations are such a drag." I rolled my eyes at her.

Daniel showed up, wrapping himself around Rayne.

"Where did you apply to?" he asked me.

"I got accepted to NYU!" I exclaimed, "It's pretty much where I've always wanted to go." This brought a wide smile on Daniel's lips. "What?"

I got picked up off of the floor and was spun around. I laughed, throwing my head back. Once Landon placed me back on the ground, I tilted my head up and was met with his amazing smile.

"Daniel and I got accepted there too," he grinned. I squealed and hugged the two of them.

"College is going to be so fucking amazing with you two around," I smirked. I met Daniel's eyes and he beamed.

"Fuck yeah!" I laughed.

"Those other college boys better keep their hands off of you," Landon hissed.

"That's supposed to be your job," I smiled. He wrapped his arms around my waist and flushed me to him.

"You'll be around me so often, they won't even have the chance to look at you." He finally leaned down and neared my lips.

"Gross!"

"No PDA! No PDA!"

"Ugh! You guys are disgusting!"

"You're such pigs!"

"I think it's kind of sweet."

Landon smiled against my lips. "Fuck off."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you're going off to college already," Charlie sighed as he sat on my bed. I turned around and gave him an assuring smile.<p>

"I'm going to visit every chance I get. Besides, do you really think any of the other Fiores would let me _not_ visit. They'd drag me if I they have too," I chuckled.

Graduation day has long passed. Summer went by much too quickly for my liking. I guess being with the Fiores just makes time fly by. _Pun intended. _Tomorrow, Daniel, Landon, and I will be flying to New York to get settled in our dorms. School starts in about a week. I'm doing my last minute packing.

"I know that," he smiled, "It's just… it feels like you've grown up so fast."

"I've always grown up too fast," I frowned at him.

"I know and I regret that." I plopped down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I don't regret anything. Whatever I've gone through made me the person I am today. I wouldn't change a thing," I said softly. He smiled at me.

"I'm proud of you, kiddo."

"Thanks, Dad." I bit my lip and hesitated about whether or not I should tell him the Fiores.

He looked me over. "Is there something you want to say?"

"Dad, what if I told you that I haven't always hung out with normal people?" He laughed at this.

"Well, obviously. The Cullens were hardly normal and have you taken a look at Ives? I question his sexuality sometimes," he grinned. I couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped my lips.

"Seriously, Dad. The Fiores… they weren't… they're not…" I sighed, "_human_."

Charlie assessed me. "What do you mean?"

I began to ramble, "I mean, they _are_ human, but there's a part of them that isn't. Dad, they can do things that a normal human can't. They do things that should be impossible. _They_ themselves should be considered impossible, but they exist, Dad, and I just happen to be in love one of them. And when the time comes, I'd like to become one of them too."

Charlie quickly held up a hand to stop me from talking any further. "Bella, I trust you. I trust you to know what's right and what's wrong. If you had said this about the Cullens, I would have done everything in my power to dissuade you, but I like the Fiores. They're not like the Cullens. They just seem _right_. If I feel that way and you feel the same, then we must be on the same page."

My eyes glistened. "Are you saying that – "

He smiled and nodded at me. "I know for a fact that you aren't making a mistake in this situation. So I'm giving you my blessing to do whatever you would like to do. I trust Landon too and I know that he's never going to hurt you. Just… promise me that whatever happens, you will _always_ make time to see me. I don't care if you never age, if you suddenly look different, I won't ask. Just keep me on a need to know basis."

I squealed and hugged him. "Thank you, Dad! You don't know how much this means to me."

He smiled at me. "I think I do."

"I'm going to miss you so much, Dad."

"I'm gonna miss you too, Bells."

* * *

><p>"You promise to always call?"<p>

"If you don't answer I'm going to give you a surprise visit."

"Ugh, thank God she's leaving."

"I'mma miss you, Bella!"

"Please don't leave me with these people."

"You better not ditch me for some other guy. I shall always be your best friend, dammit!"

I chuckled at them. I pulled them all in for a group hug. "You can just always _teleport_, you know," I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, why didn't we think of that?"

I laughed and squeezed them. "It will be like I didn't even leave. Besides, why am I the only one you're saying goodbye too? Landon and Daniel are leaving too, you know."

The Fiores looked at Landon and Daniel with blank faces.

"Wow, we feel the love guys," Daniel said sarcastically. Rayne grinned at this, giving him a hug.

"Of course, I'm gonna miss you. Just not as much as Bella." She turned around to wink at me. I smirked.

"Be safe, you hear?" Cassandra said. I smiled.

"Yes, _Mom_," I joked. I had meant it as a joke, but I saw her eyes water at my declaration. She pulled me into a tight hug.

"Alright, honey. You're crushing her," Adrien chuckled. He hugged me as well and whispered, "You keep them in line, okay?" I nodded.

Once he released me, I walked over to Charlie. He held out his arms and I ran into them. I couldn't help the tears that were threatening to escape. I sniffled.

"Shh, it's okay," he soothed.

"Thank you, again. I know I've said it so many times before, but I just can't say it enough."

"It's alright, Bella. Really." He pulled away, holding me by the shoulders. "Now, wipe away those tears and smile, okay?" I sniffed but nodded, giving him a smile. He finally let me go.

Landon was quick to grab my hand. I looked up and smiled into his currently brown eyes.

"Are you ready? Because this is it, there's no more turning back," he said. I smiled softly and nodded.

"Flight B209, now boarding," the flight attendant announced. I took a deep breath and looked back at everyone. _Oh, screw it!_ I gave them all one last hug.

"We're gonna miss you, Bella," Rayne said. I smiled at her. I turned to look at Rhia. She grunted.

"I can't believe I'm admitting this…" she grumbled to herself, "I'm gonna – I'm… ugh! I'm gonna miss you too, okay?"

I shrieked with delight and hugged her. "I knew you couldn't resist me."

"Yeah, yeah," she scowled. I grinned. I bounded back towards Landon and Daniel, as we got ready to board. I waved at everyone one last time.

Landon wrapped his arms around me. "You've got one last chance."

I looked up at him with confusion. "One chance for what?"

"To back out."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Daniel laughed at the two of us and went ahead.

"Landon Drew Fiore, are you trying to get rid of me?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips. He held up his hands in defense.

"Of course, not!"

"Well, nice try. You aren't going to get rid of me that easily," I grinned.

"As if I would let you go anyways."

* * *

><p>"Oof!" I grunted as I dropped myself onto the bed. We went directly to our dorms as soon as we arrived at NYU. We first went to the boys' dorms and then we went to mine. Daniel and Landon had already managed to get everything inside their dorm. Daniel stayed behind to go get our schedules for all three of us. Landon chose to come with me to my dorm.<p>

Landon grinned as he hovered over me, putting either hand by my head. "Tired?" he asked huskily. I smiled seductively and grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"Nope," I whispered, nearing my lips towards him. Just when our lips were about to touch, a loud thud caused the both of us to pull away. Our heads snapped towards the origin of the noise.

"What the hell?" a pretty, blonde girl snapped with wide eyes. I blushed a scarlet red as I pushed Landon off of me.

"Hi," I greeted, standing up to offer her my hand. Instead of shaking it like any other nice person, she looked at it with disgust. When she finally looked up, her eyes landed on Landon. She pushed me off to the side and sauntered toward him. My jaw dropped.

"Hey," she nearly purred at him. I kept in the remark that was threatening to escape my lips. _That stupid bitch!_

"Umm, yeah," he said rudely, shoving her off of him. I smirked at her face. He grabbed my hand and led me out of the room. "We were about to leave anyways." I threw the chick a glare before Landon dragged me down the hall.

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips. "Well, that wasn't the kind of impression I was intending to leave my roommate," I grinned at him.

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around my waist. "If she gives you any trouble, you're always welcome at our dorm."

"But girls aren't supposed to be in the guys' dorms and vice versa. Won't I get caught?"

He smirked at me and leaned in towards my ear to whisper, "Come on, be a rebel." I giggled and playfully pushed him away.

"I'm dating you, aren't I?" I teased. He leered at me.

"You know it."

* * *

><p>College went by much more quickly than I expected it to. I always thought that college was supposed to be a drag, but it didn't feel like it. The only thing that probably made college feel like hell was Jeanine, my roommate. She just won't get the hint that Landon isn't interested. She takes every chance to make a pass at him, which Landon all fortunately ignores. She was the biggest bitch to me for a while, until I set her straight. I'd rather not get into it.<p>

Anyways, three months has already passed and Daniel, Landon, and I will be _flying_ back to Forks. In fact, we're not even going to be flying. I figured out a couple months ago that we could just teleport back and forth whenever we wanted to. I freaked out at first, because when they teleport, a huge fire consumes them. When Landon teleported with me the first time, the fire didn't scorch me at all, like I expected it to. Instead, it felt like a blanket being wrapped around me.

All of the Fiores have been constantly popping in and out during school. Ives, most especially. I swear, he just can't get enough of me. _Just kidding._

"Ready?" both Landon and Daniel asked me. I nodded. Daniel went first. It still never fails to amaze me when I see them teleport. A reddish-orange blazing fire consumed his entire body. By the time I blinked, the only remnants of him were the scatter of smoke.

"That never gets old," I murmured to myself. Landon chuckled beside me.

"I know, right?" He grinned. He held out his hand to me. As soon as I grabbed it, I saw the same fire wrap itself around the two of us. I close my eyes and felt it around me. "We're here," he announced.

I opened my eyes and was glad to see that we made it back in Forks.

"Bella!" I laughed as Marc attached himself onto my legs.

"Hey, Kangaroux," I grinned, ruffling his hair.

"Finally, you guys are back!" Rayne exclaimed as she, too, saw us. I hugged her as soon as she came close enough.

"You guys see us everyday, anyways," I chuckled. She smiled at me.

"Come on. Daniel's already inside." She grabbed my hand and began dragging me towards the house. I chuckled and tugged on Landon's hand, tagging him along.

* * *

><p>The next couple of days were spent with both the Fiores and Charlie. We've been doing so many things in one day that I just feel so spent.<p>

The time for my transformation has finally come. It's Thanksgiving Day. I'm getting nervous just thinking about it. The only thing that helps me get through it is the thought of forever with Landon.

"It's Thanksgiving," I murmured as I rolled onto Landon. He groaned, but wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Already?" he muttered with disdain. I sighed and laid my head on his chest.

"It was gonna arrive sooner or later."

His wings cocooned us together. He tugged me upwards so that our faces were nearly touching.

"Are you sure about this, Bella? I want you to be a hundred percent sure."

I slowly dropped myself onto him and kissed his lips. "I'm sure."

"This means letting go of the life you already have."

"I know."

"You're not going to age while everyone else around you is."

"I know."

"Your life is never going to be normal ever again."

"It never has been, anyways."

He sighed and gazed deeply into my eyes.

"This means forever with me."

I smiled and closed my eyes.

"I know."

**Oh dang! So what did you guys think?**

**Remember what I said, the next chapter is going to be where all the action is going to happen. Just to get you guys all riled up, I've taken the liberty to give you guys a sneak peak :) So, get them REVIEWS ready. You're mind will be blown away. LOL. These are just a bunch or random snippets. Anyways... here goes :)**

_My eyes snapped open as I felt a strange warmness overcome me. My eyes widened as blazing flames suddenly began to engulf me._

"Geez, you guys. It's been fifty _fucking_ years. You guys need to get over this shit. Otherwise, Fate is going to force you to get over it."

"No. You are not allowed to beat people just because they're being annoying. And in no way, no how, will you set another kid's hair on fire!"

"I just… I feel like something bad is going to happen today. Do you feel it too?"

_You've just started a war..._

**OH. SHIT. How's that for a sneak peak?**

**Remember guys, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	10. War

**This is the last major time jump. I SWEAR. No, really. I swear. This is the last one. I promise. **

**Anyways, this is probably the chapter everyone has been waiting for... well, other than finding out what the Fiores are, but we've already gotten that out of the way :)**

**P.S. Please do remember that Phoenixes have telepathic powers. Yeah, I just wanted to remind you guys.**

**Without further adieu... I hope you guys enjoy! **

Chapter 10: War

**Bella POV**

_The lone tear slid down his face and blended in with the water soundlessly. He took a deep breath and looked at me with careful eyes. _It's time._ I nodded and shut my eyes closed. My arms stayed still by my sides, patiently waiting for the painful onslaught to come. His wings flapped behind him. At first they were slow, and then they got faster and faster. Huge gusts of wind struck me across the face. I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep from crying out._

_My eyes snapped open as I felt a strange warmness overcome me. My eyes widened as blazing flames suddenly began to engulf me. It scorched every part of my body. It wasn't like the feeling of comfort that teleporting gave. This… it burned. It was torture. I couldn't help it anymore. I began to scream. I thrashed, flailed, yelled, and shrieked but nothing I did relieved the pain. The only things I was aware of was the reddish-orange flames that took over my sight, the sound of winds flapping, and the unbearable pain. My legs, arms, torso, face… everything was hurting. _

_When I least expected it, a terrible pain erupted in my stomach. I curled in to try to soothe it, but then my back felt like it was being torn apart. I was suddenly thrown into an arched position, my spine feeling horrifyingly broken._

_The next thing I knew, a new sound made its presence. The back of my shirt was being forced open. I cried out once again as I felt like someone was stabbing into my back. I could feel it slowly gliding out of my back, tearing my skin apart. My sweat began to join the lone tear as it continuously poured out of me. I screamed one last time, when the stabbing feeling finally stopped._

_Suddenly, an eerie silence came upon me. The only sound I could hear was the erratic sound of my pants as I tried to regain my breathing. Soon enough, other sounds began to join it. I could hear the water swooshing, birds chirping, cars passing by, animals grazing the deep forest, and so many more sounds that I shouldn't have been able to hear. Not as a normal person, at least._

_I surveyed my surrounding, my eyes running across the expanse of the water. I can't describe it… I could see every particle that's floating in the air. I could see far beyond the forest. I heard the slight movement of water. I turned to see Landon right across from me, observing me. I could see his obvious worry, but I could also see the love, pride, and awe shining in his eyes. I soon became aware of the other Fiores. For once, it seemed that Rhia was stunned speechless._

_I looked down to see my reflection in the water. I reached up and carefully touched my face, not believing what I was seeing. My skin felt like silk under my touch. My lips had become fuller, my cheekbones were much more defined, and my nose was much more shaped. I ran my fingers through the streak of blonde hair that now framed the left side of my face. I gasped at the next thing I saw._

_Bright red eyes were staring back at me._

* * *

><p>Breathe in. Breathe out.<p>

My eyes scanned my surroundings. I clutched the metal barrel to my chest, trying to gauge the perfect time. My bare feet curled around the branch. I willed my wings to stop flapping. Silence was key.

_Are you ready?_

I turned to see Landon grinning at me. My eyes twinkled with delight.

_Go!_

Landon and I pointed our guns at our specific target and shot.

_SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!_

"Aww fuck!"

_THUD!_

"Ohhhh, yeah!" I exclaimed, high fiving Landon. We both grinned as Ives crashed to hard forest floor.

"You guys are such fucking cheaters!" Ives accused.

"No, you just suck," Landon laughed.

"Double teaming is considered cheating! It's supposed to be every man for himself," Ives pouted, lying flat on the ground with two splashes of paint across his chest and one on his face. "And really? You just _had _to aim at my face?"

"Like you said, every _man_. Last time I checked, I'm a woman," I grinned, "And yes, I just _had_ to aim at your face. Because if you don't recall, _you_ shot me in the ass the last time we played."

"Yeah, no one gets to hit that but me," Landon said, wiggling his eyes suggestively at me. I laughed and playfully shoved him away.

"Ugh, gross, you guys," Ives grimaced.

I jumped off of the tree and began flapping my wings once again.

"Well, it was nice chatting with you, but I've got other people to shoot," I smirked. I waved Landon over and he immediately followed. I turned to see Landon with a small smile on his face. "What?"

"Nothing," he smiled, "It's just that you once told me that you could never get used to flying. Now, look at you. It's practically your first nature."

My charm bracelet made dangling noises as I flew around him. I stopped right in front of him and grinned. "You _did_ tell me that you would change my mind." I leaned in closer to him.

"I did," he smiled softly, his breath fanning across my face. I closed my eyes and waited for his lips to touch mine, but obviously that's _never_ the fucking case for us.

_SPLAT! SPLAT!_

"Shit!" we both cursed as green splashes of paint hit the both of us. I instantly spun around and saw Rhia smirking at the two of us.

"I told you that you're grossness with each other is going to bite you in the ass," she leered, "Geez, you guys. It's been fifty _fucking_ years. You guys need to get over this shit. Otherwise, Fate is going to force you to get over it."

We scowled at her as she flew away. She left a trail of dark chuckles behind her. I looked at Landon and saw him shrug.

"She doesn't know what she's talking about."

A slow smile formed its way onto my lips. "Of course she doesn't."

He grinned and grabbed my hand as we flew back to the house. As soon as our feet touched the ground, Adrien shoved a tray of food at us. I chuckled.

"Eat up kids!" he exclaimed with a wide grin.

"It's a wonder that our kids aren't obese," Cassandra laughed at Adrien.

"Thanks, Adrien," I said thankfully, stuffing a cookie into my mouth.

I scanned the backyard and saw that almost everyone was already here but Daniel and Rhia. _Oh God_. Those two and go at it for days, man, _days._ Every single time, Daniel swears that he's going to win, but we all know that it's just hopeless wishing. Rhia _always_ wins. Always. Both Landon and I know this, so we try our best to get as much people as we can, even if we can't win. Ives is usually our main target, just because he's so fun to mess with.

"About time you guys got here," Patrick said with a full mouth.

Rayne was lying down on the sunbathing chair, drinking some iced tea. "Yeah," she nodded. "I'm so bored you guys."

"Only 'cuz you were the first one out," Patrick grinned. She scowled at him and flipped him the bird.

"Hey! Mommy! She did the Finger!" Marc told Cassandra.

Cassandra shook her head and gave Rayne a fake glare, to appease Marc. "You know you shouldn't do that," she scolded lightly, not really meaning it. Rayne smirked slightly.

"Sorry." Marc smiled and plopped down on one of the metal chairs, satisfied. I chuckled at his antics.

I grabbed Landon's hand and dragged him with me. I sat down and dipped my legs inside the pool. I looked up at Landon expectedly. His shoulders shook with slight laughter as he joined me. I smiled at him and nuzzled closed to him, leaning my head on his shoulder. I bit on my cookie contently.

"Rhia is right about something." My eyes snapped to him, surprised. "It _has_ been fifty years. Wow, time flies," he mused.

"Yeah," I agreed, "I still can't help but remember some of the things I left."

"Well, I still can't believe we managed to convince people that you committed suicide."

My eyes watered slightly as I remembered the events from thirty years ago. "After Charlie died – " I stopped mid-sentence, trying not to cry. Landon grabbed my hand and rubbed it soothingly. "It was the best thing to do. There's no need for people to look for me. Besides, let that get to the Cullens' head. Let them die, pun intended, with guilt," I finished, albeit a bit bitterly.

Charlie knew that we were not normal. After my transformation, I already knew that he could tell that something was up. True to his word, he didn't pry. We kept a need-to-know basis. I loved Charlie. I still love my _dad_. He was there for me when everything went wrong. He stood by me when I needed him most. Thirty years ago, he was shot on the job. The bullet scraped the edge of his heart. The doctors couldn't do anything to stop the bleeding.

I didn't talk to anyone for days. I cried myself to sleep every night. I moped around. Not even Landon could do anything to help me, but he helped lessen the pain.

After his death, I faked my own suicide, leaving behind a fake death note, saying I could no longer live without my dad. Many people doubted it at first, knowing I would not do that to the Fiores. However, the Fiores proved themselves to be just as good actors as the Cullens. We managed to pull it off. After a few years, the pain gradually went away, but remnants of it will always be with me, knowing I would no longer see my dad.

I officially changed my name to Bella Marie Roux, taking on Cassandra's maiden name. We thought that it would be best, considering Landon's last name is Fiore. We didn't want people to think that we were in any way related. We've traveled all over the world since then. We're currently residing in Edinburgh, UK. Just like Forks, it's a very gloomy place.

"Charlie _was_ awesome," Landon smiled softly at me. I closed my eyes and nodded. I felt his lips kiss my temple.

"Thank you, Landon. For everything," I told him, gazing deeply into his eyes. His eyes lit up with love.

"Ugh, gross. I told you guys to cut that out!" Rhia's unmistakable voice grunted. Landon and I turned to her. She had a smirk on her face while Daniel was scowling behind her, green paint all over his body.

"Told you so," Rayne grinned at him. He hissed and stomped into the house.

"Someone's cranky," Ives cackled.

I shook my head at them, a small smile playing on my lips.

"So, you guys ready for school?"

At this, they all groaned simultaneously. I laughed.

* * *

><p>"Rise and shine!" I shouted, running up and down the halls.<p>

"GAHHH! Shut up, Bella!" Ives groaned thunderously.

"Seriously!" Rayne agreed.

I grinned to myself, sprinting back into Landon's room and mine. Landon's amused smile greeted me as I entered the room. He was propped up on his elbows, watching me.

"What?" I asked innocently. I crawled onto the bed and straddled his waist. He smiled seductively and placed his hands on my waist.

"I thought I told you not to leave me in the morning," he mock scolded. I grinned, placing kisses on his neck. He groaned and fell back onto the bed.

"I had to," I whined, smiling. "If I hadn't woken them up, they wouldn't have gotten up at all."

"You're so anal about going to school."

I shrugged. "School is very important, you know," I said, starting the speech that I've recited for the past fifty years. "Without it, all of us will become brain dead. We won't be able to catch up with the world – "

"Blah, blah, blah," Landon mocked, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, Bella. Do you have to say that every single time?"

I laughed and got off of him. "Come on, mister. Go take a shower." I grabbed his hand and dragged him off of the bed.

I eyed his half-naked body, lingering on his waist. "Like what you see?" he asked huskily. I bit my lip.

"No. Now go take a shower," I grunted, pushing him into the bathroom.

"Lying is a sin, Bella," he tisked with a smirk.

"I've been living in sin because of you," I grinned. "Now go!" He somehow managed to get out of my grasp and stole a kiss. I gasped in surprise. He quickly got into the bathroom and shut it closed. "I am so going to get you back," I muttered, knowing well that he could hear me.

I swiftly got dressed and went back down. Everyone was already sitting on the kitchen table, eating some bacon and eggs.

"Good morning," I smiled sheepishly at all of them. They scowled at me. "Oh, come on! Do we have to go through this every single time?"

"If only you'd stop waking us up so damn early!" Rhia snapped.

"Language, dear," Adrien scolded.

"But – "

"They're older than you," he reminded her.

"Not that much," she grumbled.

I took a seat next to Ives and started to get some food. Just as I was about to reach for the last slice of bacon, he slapped my hand. My eyes snapped to him.

"What?" I snapped.

"You don't deserve the last piece." He quickly got the last bacon and shoved it into his mouth. He then leaned into me, as if to rub the bacon into my face.

"Ives!" I shrieked. Everyone in the table laughed at me.

"Serves you right," Patrick smirked. I huffed and crossed my arms.

"Not fair!"

Landon finally made his appearance, showing up at the table.

"About time," Cassandra told him, "I swear, you're always the last one down."

Landon flashed me a grin. "What can I say? Lazyness comes with being a Hot Badboy." I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto my lips.

Rayne sighed. "You'd think that after fifty years, school would get better. But, _no_."

I laughed at her. "Oh, get over it. You know that you eventually warm up to it again. I mean, come on! Remember last year?"

Beside her, Daniel grinned. "I remember." We all looked at each other and boomed with laughter.

"I thought we agreed never to talk about that again!" she objected.

"But it was the funniest shit ever!" Ives joined in.

"I still have the pictures of it," Patrick smirked.

Landon groaned. "You're my sister. I did _not_ have to see that."

"What are you guys talking about?" Marc asked with innocent eyes.

Rhia gave us all a sharp look. "Nothing!" I squeaked. "Just some school stuff."

Daniel, Patrick, and Ives laughed even harder at this. Rayne huffed and stomped out of the house. Still chuckling, Daniel followed after her.

"Yeah, _school stuff_," Ives grinned. I thumped him in the chest.

"Alright, children," I said, rolling my eyes. "Time to go to school."

"Please, Bella. Keep them under control," Adrien groaned.

"Yes, _please_," Cassandra pleaded.

I smiled and nodded. "You have my word."

Everyone else grumbled under their breaths and piled out to their respective cars. Landon grabbed my hand and smiled. I returned it whole-heartedly.

"Stop smooching!" Rhia scolded.

We both scowled and got into the car. It's our turn to drop Rhia and Marc off.

"Yeah, yeah," Landon muttered.

After settling in my chair, I turned around and gave the two kids a stern look.

"Marc, please, oh _please_, stay away from any sweets while at school," I begged.

His eyes twinkled at me. "I'll try, but I make no promises."

I sighed and turned to Rhia, who was smirking at me. She opened her mouth to speak but I beat her to it.

"No. You are not allowed to beat people just because they're being annoying. And in no way, no how, will you set another kid's hair on fire! God knows how much trouble we had explaining that to the principal. Understood?" I demanded.

She pouted and crossed her arms. "Well, you're no fun."

I sighed in frustration and settled back into my chair. I turned to see Landon grinning at me.

"What?"

"Nothing," he smiled. I looked at him suspiciously, but I decided to let it go as he sped us off.

Luckily, Rhia and Marc's elementary is right across from our high school. As soon as we arrived at their school, Rhia and Marc zoomed out of the car.

"Remember what I said!" I shouted after them.

"Whatever!"

I groaned. "Ugh!" Landon laughed at me.

"Stop freaking out, Bella. They'll be okay. They know the drill." I scowled at him.

"Sure, they do. That's why they keep pulling off stupid stunts like putting people's hair on fire!"

"Bella?"

"WHAT?"

"Chill." I took a deep breath and turned back to him.

"Happy?" He nodded with a smile. "Sorry," I apologized. "I just… I feel like something bad is going to happen today. Do you feel it too?"

One of the things about being a Phoenix is having the gift of premonition. It's not like Alice's power, where you get visions. It's more of a little prickling feeling that we get.

"Kind of, but it's probably nothing. Remember the last time? It was just Ives running into a pole," he shrugged. I couldn't help but laugh, remembering the sight.

"Yeah," I agreed, though I was still not so sure, "Probably."

* * *

><p>When Landon and I arrived at school, the others had already gathered at our usual spot. I grabbed Landon's hand and pulled him along with me.<p>

"Hey, guys," I greeted at the others.

"What took you so long?" Patrick asked noncommittally. I rolled my eyes.

"I had to give them the talk."

"The birds and bees talk?"

"Shut up, Ives." I backhanded his head. He scowled. "You know you deserved it." Landon chuckled beside me.

"She gave them the 'don't do this' talk," he answered for mer.

"God knows they need it," Rayne agreed.

"Thank you!" I smiled at her.

"It's a wonder how you got Rhia to start listening to you," Daniel said. I grinned.

"What can I say?" I smirked cockily.

"Hey, guys!" a familiar feminine voice greeted.

We all turned to see Mandy towards us. I smiled brightly at her. You could consider Mandy as the one-woman welcoming committee of Edinburgh High. She was the one that oriented us when we moved here just last year. She's become one of the family's close friends. Adrien and Cassandra love her.

She's incredibly nice, but piss her off and you'll wish that you never met her. She blew up on Ives once. Boy, I've never seen him so scared in my life. You'd think that he would leave her alone afterwards, but _no_. Instead, it made him double his efforts on getting with her.

"Hey, Mandy!" I exclaimed, giving her a hug. "What's up, girl?"

"Hey, sweet thang," Ives tried to grin seductively.

Mandy just proceeded to roll her eyes and ignored him.

"Just the usual," she shrugged. "Oh! I just remembered. We actually have some new kids again this year."

Considering that Edinburgh is such a gloomy place, not much people really bother to move here. That's why when we first moved here, we were the talk of the school.

"Well, it seems that Edinburgh is more popular than you originally thought," Rayne teased.

"Oh, shut up," Many said, smiling.

Popping a chip in his mouth, Patrick asked, "How many?" She held up five fingers.

Honestly, I nearly choked on my own saliva. I immediately locked eyes with Landon, who was looking at me worriedly.

_Do you think…? _I began to ask him in my hand.

_Maybe it's just a coincidence,_ he tried to assure, but I could feel his own apprehension.

"Oh, cool," Daniel grinned, not thinking much about it.

"So… about that date?" Ives asked, changing the subject.

"In your dreams, Kris," she smirked, walking away. "See you guys later!" We all waved goodbye to her

Ives scowled at her retreating back. "You know I hate that name!" he whined after her. Her only response was a trail of twinkling laughter.

"Wow, you're got it bad for Mandy," I teased.

"I haven't seen you like this since Amy," Landon grinned.

"Amy was a bitch. Screw her," Ives waved off the subject. I boomed with laughter. Amy _was_ a bitch. None of us liked her at all.

"Sorry to bust our happy time," Daniel began to say, "But Bella and I need to get our schedules."

"Oh, yeah," I remembered. I quickly stretched up on my toes and pecked Landon's lips. "You guys better behave while Daniel and I are gone," I warned, pointing an accusing finger at both Ives and Patrick.

"Moi?" Ives asked, appalled.

"When have we _not_ behaved?" Patrick asked innocently.

"Contain them, will you?" I pleaded with Rayne and Landon. They grinned, saluting me.

"Sure, boss." I grinned, waiting for Daniel to finish kissing Rayne.

"We'll be right back!" I shouted as Daniel and I began to walk away.

"So far, so good," Daniel grinned at me. I groaned.

"Don't say that, because something will probably go wrong," I said, "Speaking of, don't you feel like something's off? I brought it up to Landon, but you know him. Even though I love him to death, he could be the most unobservant person ever."

Daniel gazed towards us with wonder on his face. "Now that you mention it, kind of. But then again, it could just be another Ives running into a pole incident," he joked. I smiled.

"Maybe," I agreed, content with the answer. For now.

Daniel and I finally reached the Main Office and managed to get our schedules. Daniel and I held the schedules side by side, comparing them. Seeing that he and I had the same classes together, I high-fived him.

"Nice," we grinned at each other.

Patrick put his foot down and demanded he be in the same grade as Rayne and Ives, so they were all sophomores last year and juniors this year. Landon, Daniel, and I are all seniors. Landon also had the same classes as Daniel and I, except for Calculus. Landon _hates_ Calculus. He decided to take up Culinary Arts this year, which makes sense, considering he's really good at cooking. Like _crazy_ good. If I didn't love him so much, I probably would have just gotten with him because of his cooking skills. Anyways…

As Daniel and I made our way back to our spot, I could tell that they were once again drawing uncalled for attention. Daniel and I looked at each other and groaned. Landon was playing intensely to the beat of Orianthi's According to You and Ives was on the table mocking him, playing air guitar. Rayne could hardly care, putting on some makeup, and Patrick was taking pictures for future blackmail.

"You guys!" I whined as we reached them. Everyone snapped towards Daniel and I and grinned sheepishly. I took the guitar off of Landon's lap and took its place. "When I told you to take care of them, it didn't mean you could help the cause."

He shrugged, smiling. "Sorry, I couldn't help it." I melted under his gaze, giving into his embrace. Daniel and Rayne looked similar to the both of us. Ives and Patrick rolled their eyes.

Unfortunately, their mutual agreement was quickly broken when Ives grabbed Patrick's camera.

"Ives!" Patrick shouted. I can tell that Ives was erasing his most recent pictures.

"Ohhh," Ives grinned to himself, "Keep this one. I actually like it." He finally returned the came to Patrick with a satisfied smile on his face. Patrick glared darkly at him.

"Why do you have to be such an ass, Ives?" Patrick shouted.

"I'll stop being such an ass if you stop being such a whiny little bitch," Ives smirked.

"Break it up, boys," I laughed, leaning against Landon's chest. His arms tightened around me and he rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Follow the boss," he chuckled. I grinned and nodded.

"You heard the man," I joked.

"I don't understand how you can be as weird as Ives but still stay the sane, mature one in this family," Patrick grinned.

"I agree," Daniel agreed with a chuckle, "I say that I should be the boss."

"Fuck you," Ives quickly interjected, "I'd rather follow Bella than you."

Rayne chuckled. "Have you finally decided that you're gay?" she teased, "And you're hitting on _my_ boyfriend." Ives opened his mouth to snap back at her but I interrupted.

"Geez, guys. Calm yo weave," I joked. The family turned to me and gave me an 'are-you-serious?' look. "What?" I asked innocently.

Ives rolled his eyes conceitedly and scoffed. "That was like totally last year." Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Shit. Ives may be a dumbfuck, but he's funny as hell.

_Hey, I heard that!_ Ives complained.

I mentally smirked. _You were supposed to._

He stuck his tongue out at me and I grinned.

"I told you, you're the weird one in this relationship," Landon teased. I playfully slapped his arms, but couldn't help and turn around to give him a peck on the lips.

All of a sudden, we heard a loud growl. Our heads snapped towards the origin of the noise.

_No way! What are they doing here?_

_I'm gonna kill them if they get anywhere near Bella!_

_Shit. _

_No wonder it's been stinky around here._

We all had to pause for a second and agree with the statement. _Seriously._

Looking back at the crowd of five people being oriented by Mandy, I clenched my fists under the table. It took everything in me to keep a straight face.

"Hey, Ives," I called out.

"Yeah?" he asked, keeping a glare on Public Enemy Number One.

_Payback's gonna be such a bitch._

He broke out into an evil grin. _Of course, best friend_.

I squeezed Landon's hand in assurance. I gave him a soft smile.

_I'm going anywhere. I just want you to know that._

_I know._

I stood up and motioned for everyone to follow me. They followed almost immediately. Still holding Landon's hand, I smirked.

_You've just started a war, Cullens._

**OH. SHIT.**

**I have no further comment. You guys know what to do :)**


	11. Misconceptions

**I'm _so_ excited. I've been waiting for so long for us to finally get down and dirty with this story. Finally, this chapter has arrived. Haha! I hope you guys enjoy :)**

Chapter 11: Misconceptions

**Bella POV**

"So…?"

"So what?" I asked Landon with indifference.

"What are we going to do about them?" he spat out. I shrugged.

"Nothing, really. We'll just…" I grinned up at him, "mess with their heads. A bit."

"I like the way you think," he chuckled, nuzzling my nose. However, his demeanor quickly changed. "Don't you feel anything for, you know, _him_?"

I sighed and scooted closer to his embrace. "Landon," I murmured. "They're literally dead to me. If I happen to feel anything, it's just anger, regret, or resentment. Nothing more," I promised him. He nodded, accepting my answer. He leaned down to place a soft kiss on my lips.

"They'd have to go through me if they even try to approach you," he hissed I squeezed his hand.

"And me too." I looked up to see a seething Daniel. "No vampire is going to go anywhere near my family."

"Yeah!" Ives agreed. Patrick and Rayne also nodded.

"We got your back, Bella," Patrick vowed.

"There's no way in hell we'd let them mess with you again," Rayne added firmly.

I couldn't help the tears in my eyes. I gathered everyone into a huge group hug. "Aww, thanks you guys. You guys are the best!"

"You better know it!" Ives teased. I half-laugh, half-sobbed, wiping away my tears.

"So… about this messing with them thing…?" Patrick started out.

"I'm not sure what to do yet," I admitted, "but I'm sure we'll figure something out."

They nodded, pleased with my answer.

The bell for class finally rung and we all had to separate. "See you guys later!" I waved at the others. I linked arms with Daniel and Landon and proceeded to drag them along to class.

At the thought of something, I began to chuckle.

"What?" Landon asked, amused.

"This must be what a pimp feels like," I grinned cheekily. The two boys just shook their heads, chuckling.

We finally walked into our first class, physics, and took our assigned seats, which were posted on the wall. It was set alphabetically, so Landon was seated away from Daniel and I. I pecked his lips and separated from him with slight reluctance.

"Geez, Bella," Daniel laughed as he guided us to our seats, "He's only like what, fifteen seats away?"

"Yeah, _well_," I pouted, sitting down.

"Rhia _is_ right. You guys are so in love that it's sick."

"Well, so are you and Rayne," I defended.

"At least Rayne and I actually have our petty fights. You and Landon are always happy-go-lucky," he contradicted.

_You guys talking about me? _Landon asked Daniel and I.

_Mhmm…_ I grinned mentally.

Daniel groaned. _See what I mean?_

_Hey! We do fight!_ Landon agreed.

_Huh._ Daniel wasn't convinced. _Give me one good example._

_What about that one time where we fought over the remote? _I suggested.

Daniel rolled his eyes. _Pathetic._

_When I got jealous of that model that tried to rape Bella_, Landon said.

_He did not rape me! _I cried out. _I told you! He was gay!_

Daniel laughed at us. _Like Rayne would say, you guys are so cute._

_Thank you,_ Landon and I said at the same time. Landon turned around and smiled at me. I returned it wholeheartedly.

"Like I said," Daniel spoke, "Disgusting."

I grinned and playfully punched his shoulder. "Shut up."

Daniel and I broke out laughing. Landon's shoulders were also subtly shaking. It would look weird to the others if he were laughing to himself.

The teacher coughed and called for the class's attention. Just before he could introduce himself, the front door opened to reveal none other than Jasper and Rosalie Hale, who were accompanied by Mandy.

I felt Daniel stiffen next to me, and I could tell that Landon was also struggling for control, his two hands curled into fists. _Calm down, honey._

_I'm trying, Bella._

"Mandy," the teacher greeted.

"Hey, Mr. Finn. Sorry if they're late. I had to drop off the others first," she apologized. Mr. Finn nodded.

"Thank Mandy, you can go back to class now." She nodded. Before turning to leave, she saw Daniel, Landon, and I and waved at us. I smiled and waved back. The Hales watched our exchange with pure curiosity. Mr. Finn turned to the Hales and asked, "Ahh, you two are…"

"Jasper and Rosalie Hale… or Cullen, sir," Jasper answered in his southern twang.

The girls in the class swooned at the sound of his voice. I rolled my eyes.

Okay, so I don't really have anything against Jasper. I mean, it wasn't his fault that he was tempted to drain me to death. I knew what I was getting into when I got involved with Edward. However, if Jasper decides to do anything to piss me off, I won't excuse him from my hateful attitude towards the others.

_He isn't that great,_ Daniel grumbled.

_Yeah, damn bloodsucker, _Landon agreed.

"Alright then Hales, you two can take a seat next to Mr. Fiore."

_Shit._

Daniel and I immediately looked at each other with wide eyes. We looked back at Landon and saw how much trouble he was having.

"And who's that?" Rosalie asked with the fakest smile I've ever seen in my life.

"Landon, raise your hand," Mr. Finn ordered. Landon grudgingly did so.

"I've over here, blondies," he snapped.

"Mr. Fiore!" Mr. Finn scolded, but Landon paid no attention. He kept a death glare on the two Cullens. I could already imagine the gossip. "Apologize!"

"I don't think so," Landon snapped, "I owe them no apology."

_Landon!_ I warned.

"What's your problem?" Jasper spat.

_Yup, he just added himself to my shit list._

"You know what my problem is," Landon had already gotten up and was staring Jasper down. The next think I knew, Rosalie drew in a sharp gasp.

I locked eyes with Daniel. _Oh shit, you don't think…_

_Yup, they just saw his eyes,_ he said with disdain.

"That is it!" Mr. Finn shouted, "I hope you enjoy detention on your first day of school, Landon." He handed Landon and pink detention slip, which Landon took with no hesitation.

_If you're getting detention, then so am I._

Landon swiftly turned around to look at me. _Bella, don't – _

"You can't give him detention. He doesn't owe them an apology," I said firmly, standing up.

Jasper and Rosalie were looking at me through their topaz eyes.

_Oh my God! What are you doing?_ Daniel pleaded.

"_Oh, _really?" the teacher challenged.

"Yes, really."

"Well, I must disagree. The Cullens are new here and you need to give them the same respect everyone gave you when you and your family were also new. So, why don't you join your boyfriend at detention, Ms. Roux," he finished, holding a slip out for me.

I stood up from my seat and raised my chin up defiantly as I walked down the aisle. I could hear the other students' whispers as I walked by them.

Reaching Mr. Finn, I grabbed the slipped from him. "I'd be glad to join him." I walked past the two Cullens and flashed them my red eyes. I mentally smirked at the surprise in their eyes.

I went back to my seat and sat down. Daniel was just gaping at me.

"It is way too early for this," I heard Mr. Finn mutter to himself. "You know what? If you're not going to play nice then just sit by your siblings, Landon. _Maybe_ you'll behave," he ordered. Landon gladly followed. Mr. Finn turned to the Hales and apologized. "I'm sorry for this." I scoffed. "Please, take a seat."

"It's alright, sir," Rosalie acted innocently. I rolled my eyes.

Landon finally reached us and took a seat next to me. I scooted over and grabbed his hands.

_I'm sorry._

I gave him a weak smile and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his lip.

_You don't have to apologize._

I could feel Jasper and Rosalie's eyes on us but I could give less of a damn at that moment.

_Yeah, don't say sorry, despite that fact that you guys just caused a huge scene, _Daniel groaned.

_Yeah,_ Landon and I smiled at each other.

_Ugh, gross._

I smiled to myself and rested against Landon's side. He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer.

_I love you. I don't think I've said that today,_ I whispered.

_You don't have to. I know you do and I love you too._

My eyes fluttered as he placed a kiss on my temple.

When my eyes opened, my eyes met Jasper's and Rosalie's. I raised them an eyebrow, challenging them. For just one moment, I let Jasper feel all the anger and resentment I felt towards them. He flinched for the slightest second. I smirked, pleased with myself.

_Wow, you sure know how to make someone feel guilty,_ Daniel praised.

I grinned at him and Landon.

_It's my specialty._

* * *

><p>The rest of the class period was spent glaring at our intruders. Landon, Daniel, and I did a pretty good job getting under their skin, if I must admit. They kept a stiff posture throughout the period.<p>

In the very last minute of class, right when class was going to end, an explosion suddenly erupted somewhere inside the school. The entire class broke out into hysterics and Mr. Finn was crouched down under the table. Jasper and Rosalie immediately pulled out their phones, most likely to check up on the rest on their pathetic siblings.

Daniel, Landon, and I, however, were not as panicked as everyone else was. Instead, we all looked at each other knowingly.

"I saw their schedule. Ives, Rayne, and Patrick all have chemistry for first period," Daniel said, confirming what we all already suspected.

I have him and Landon an 'I-told-you-so' look. "You see? I told you guys that something bad was gonna happen today." I turned around to see Jasper and Rosalie staring at us. "I mean, other than the fucking Addams family showing up."

Daniel grinned and fist bumped with me. "Nice."

"Hey, I told you that it would probably have something to do with Ives," Landon said defensively.

"You see, these are the times when Ives and Rhia really act like long lost cousins. They're both damn pyromaniacs," I said, shaking my head in dismay.

Oh, right. Yes, Ives and Rhia _are_ indeed long lost cousins. I honestly didn't know about it since recently. They're long, long, long, _long_ lost cousins. We never bring it up to Rhia though. She refuses to acknowledge being related to an "ill-witted fool." Her words, not mine.

Landon tapped me quickly. "Look, they're coming," he hissed. True to his word, the two Hales were stomping their way towards us. I raised an eyebrow and patiently waited for them to arrive.

_Stay cool,_ I warned Landon and Daniel.

_Oh, like how you two were calm?_ Daniel teased.

_Shut up._

I sneered at Jasper and Rosalie when they finally stopped in front of us. Looking around them, I realized that the rest of the occupants, including Mr. Finn, had already left the classroom. Damn that Mr. Finn. He's always hated my family and me.

"Yes?" I asked them with indifference.

"What the did you stupid fuck of a friend do?" Jasper demanded, pounding down on the table.

_Oh fuck, no. He did not just go there._

The three of us stood from our seats and glared them down. I glowered at Jasper with fiery, red eyes. He cowered back a bit along with Rosalie. They better be fucking scared.

"You did not just diss my family," I hissed. I lifted my hand to grab Jasper's neck, but Landon and Daniel restrained me.

_As much as we hate their guts too…_ Daniel started.

Landon sighed. _Don't do something you'll regret._

I took a calming breath and put my hand back down. Rosalie was staring at me incredulously.

"What happened to you?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "I grew the fuck up, Rosalie. I'm not the weak, fragile human you guys left behind." My eyes flashed to Jasper. "I can defend myself now."

"Bella, you know I never meant to attack you," Jasper began to sputter.

"I know," I snapped, "I never blamed you for it, but boy, you just made my shit list. I'm not gonna excuse you from the rest of _your_ family, considering what you just said about my _best friend_."

"Shit," he muttered.

I smirked. "Shit, would be about right."

Patrick and Rayne slipped into the classroom and flanked us.

"Where's Ives?" Daniel asked.

Patrick smirked. "Getting suspended. Expelled, even." You know, Patrick. He was obviously pleased.

"How can you act that way towards your own family?" Rosalie asked with appall.

We all shrugged. "It's what family does. You tease and joke with each other, yeah, you may hurt each other's feelings…" Rayne began to trail off, before she glanced at Landon.

"But, you _never_ leave anyone behind or make them feel like you're _not_ a part of the family," Landon bit out.

Rosalie and Jasper obviously cringed. After this, we proceeded to ignore them.

"I swear, you guys, it's only the first day of school and we've already started fighting a war," Daniel groaned, dragging his palm down his face in annoyance.

Rosalie glared. "Damn right, you did."

"_We_ didn't start the war, blondies," Landon growled, "_You_ started it by showing up here." Rosalie, Jasper, and Landon continued to glare at each other. I rolled my eyes and turned to Patrick.

"What happened anyways?" I asked.

Patrick lit up at this question. "You will not believe all the amazing pictures I got, Bella. Ives totally blew shit up all over that douche's face!" he exclaimed with excitement.

Rosalie and Jasper's ears perked up at hearing this. "What did you do to Edward?" Rosalie nearly shrieked.

"Wow. She's touchy, isn't she?" Irish slipped out of Patrick's voice. "Damn it…" I couldn't help but chuckle silently.

"What made you conclude that the douche was, in fact, Edward?" Rayne challenged.

Before Rosalie could answer, the rest of their vampire clan barged into the room. Everyone – well, besides Rosalie and Jasper – groaned irritably. However, our annoyance soon turned into amusement.

I just couldn't help it. I burst out laughing at the sight of Edward's appearance. His face was completely black, making a striking contrast against his pale complexion. The rest of my family laughed along with me.

"This. Is. Not. Funny," Edward growled. Alice and Emmett came in along with him, looking just as pissed. Their eyes were purposely avoiding mine, but I could feel their swift glances.

"It is too!" Rayne boomed, leaning into Daniel for support.

"You obviously don't have a sense of humor," I chuckled.

"He's a… burnt… carrot… oh God… hahaha!" Patrick cradled his stomach, laughing hysterically.

The Cullens merely crossed their arms, waiting for us to settle down. It took a while but our laughter did eventually die down. I wiped away some of the laughter tears that escaped my eyes. After calming down, I quickly realized that Landon had moved closer to my side, obviously guarding his territory. I noticed Edward's eyes darken at this.

"Get over it, leech," Daniel growled, noticing it too. "You hardly have any right."

Landon barred his teeth at Edward, and vice versa.

"Leech? What a hypocrite!" Rosalie shrieked. At this, Edward, Alice, and Emmett gasped.

_Hypocrite…? What?_

I met my family's eyes. They were just as confused.

"We're not – " Finally realizing what Rosalie meant, I mentally begged Daniel to shut up. He reluctantly followed.

_I don't like this, Bella,_ Daniel warned.

_What are you up to? _Landon asked worriedly.

I included everyone in on the conversation. _We don't owe them any explanation of what we are. Daniel, I know that you won't particularly like this, but we can use it to our advantage. Remember when I said we'll eventually figure something out, this is it. This is what we can use against them._

_I think Bella has a point, _Rayne agreed.

_Me too,_ Patrick said.

I looked at Landon and Daniel hopefully. _Fine,_ they both muttered.

"You can't be a vampire. I refuse to believe it!" Edward hissed.

"Belsy-boo?" I flinched at the sound of Emmett's innocent voice. If anyone was going to be a soft spot for me, I already knew that it was going to be him beforehand.

_Bella?_ My family asked worriedly.

_I'm fine,_ I assured.

"So what if I am?" So, technically, I'm not lying. I'm not confirming or denying the accusation. "What's it got to do with you?"

"It has everything to do with us if you're drinking human blood!" Rosalie shouted.

"_What?_"

**See what I did there? Haha. Didn't see that coming, now did you? And yes, I have been planning this event to happen _way_ before I even started writing the first chapter. I have a plan, people :) Next chapter goes in more detail about this turn of events. **

**Anyways...**

**Review if you'd like :)**

**Also, don't forget to check out the website for this story: **teamjacobrulezfanfiction(.)weebly(.)com/if-youre-a-bird-im-a-bird(.)html


	12. Problems Arise

**I'm terribly sorry for the late update! I was out of town and I didn't bring my USB with me. I had no way of updating.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys had a very good Christmas. I guess this is a very late Christmas present to all of you :)**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**P.S. Keep in mind that Phoenixes can affect the way a person feels or thinks when they sing and they can also control it to affect whomever they want to... just saying :D**

Chapter 12: Problems Arise

**Bella POV**

Previously…

"_It has everything to do with us if you're drinking human blood!" Rosalie shouted._

"_What?" everyone, including my family and me, shrieked._

* * *

><p><em>You guys<em>, I warned them.

_Right_, they grumbled.

"We mean… mhmm, so what?" Rayne saved.

_Nice save there,_ I teased.

I looked down to see Daniel's hands clenched. His knuckles were white from too much pressure.

"Are you guys sure?" Alice desperately asked Jasper and Rosalie.

Jasper nodded sadly. "She showed us herself, darlin'. They were sportin' red eyes… and look at them. They're just about as pale as we are."

"Don't act like we're bad people." Patrick scowled, "From what Bella told us, _some_ of us, not saying any names, used to drink human blood too." He proceeded to end his condescending tone with a smirk.

_Nice acting, _I commented.

He flashed me a quick grin. _Thanks_.

"We used to," Jasper said through gritted teeth.

"Same thing," Landon said, rolling his eyes.

"No, it is not!" Edward shouted. "We chose to change, while you obviously didn't."

I raised an eyebrow. "Change?" I scoffed. "I don't see any change in you, _Edward_. You're still the same arrogant, self-righteous person I once knew. Besides, animal drinker or not, you're just as bad as any other asshole out there." His eyes narrowed. "You _and_ your entire family."

"Bella, we – "

"Don't even start, Alice," I snapped. Her eyes went downcast.

Landon decided to step it up for our family, for _me._ He gave my hand a squeeze in assurance. He glared at the Cullens with such a ferocity that made them and even myself finch. The rest of the family continued to flank him in his efforts. I could tell that the Cullens were getting intimidated.

"You what?" he challenged angrily. "You didn't mean to leave her? Or how about, you didn't mean to take every trace of yourselves from her life without much of a warning? Do you guys have any idea how you left her that day? She nearly drove herself to insanity because she thought that her time with you didn't really happen!"

The Cullens flinched at all of his accusations. Edward looked the most pained. Landon then turned his full attention to him. "How about you? You didn't mean to break up with her in the woods and then leave her there to fend for herself? You didn't mean to break, not only her heart, but also her self-confidence? You made her feel like she wasn't good enough for anyone! She felt like even her own father didn't need her!"

"Bella – " Edward managed to choke out. I turned away from him.

Tears began to prickle my eyes. I grabbed Landon's arm and tried to tug him away. "Landon, please," I begged, "They're not worth it." Looking down on me, his eyes softened.

"Tears?" Emmett asked, shocked.

"Vampires cannot cry," Jasper stated with wonder, cocking his head to the side.

I managed to glare at them, even through my tear-filled eyes. "You're not the only one with special abilities."

At this, I told everyone to leave immediately. They followed quickly, flying up into the air and camouflaging into our surroundings. I grabbed Landon's hand. We pushed against the ground and flew up towards the sky.

"Wait! Bella!"

We looked down to see the Cullens searching for us, but we were already invisible to the naked eye and even super vampire sight. The only living things that could possibly see us are fellow birds and Phoenixes. It probably seemed as though we just disappeared.

"Bella?" my family asked. I sighed as I faced them.

"Are you alright?" Patrick asked with concern.

"I'm fine," I admitted, wiping away the tears in my eyes. "I'm just a bit surprised is all."

"Does it hurt?" Daniel asked. I glanced at Landon. "You know, seeing them."

I let out a shaky breath and squeezed Landon's hand in reassurance. "Only a little. I mean, I knew that I would have a problem seeing Emmett. He was once like a brother to me, but the others… I feel… _nothing_. It's like I just don't care."

"And Edward?" Rayne asked. I gripped Landon's arm tightly to calm him down. I turned and gazed deeply into his eyes.

"Nothing. I feel _nothing_," I answered, not breaking our eye contact. He let out a sigh of relief and crushed me into a hug. I willed my wings to stop flapping as I melted into his embrace.

With his face buried against my neck, he whispered, "You're all mine, okay? All rights reserved."

I grinned and playfully pushed away from him, flapping my wings again.

"I swear, you're so cheesy," I grinned, momentarily forgetting our current situation.

Daniel and Patrick groaned.

"More like disgusting."

"It's cute!" Rayne disagreed. They rolled their eyes at her. Landon and I smiled at each other.

Suddenly noticing the silence, I began to look around. "Hey, guys?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's Ives?"

"Shit!" they cursed.

"Crap, what are we gonna do?" Daniel panicked.

"We can't let anyone remember what just happened, unless we want Ives to get expelled," Rayne informed.

Landon nodded. "After this trick, Ives would get expelled for sure."

"I'm okay with that."

"PATRICK!"

He chuckled and raised his hands up defensively. "I'm just kidding, you guys. Sheesh." We rolled our eyes at him.

"Let me try to contact him." I closed my eyes and tried to reach Ives. _Ives?_

_Bella!_ He exclaimed, obviously pleased that I reached him. _I've been trying to contact you guys!_

I motioned for the other to join the conversation.

_You have? _I asked.

_Uh, duh! I'm in the Dean's right now. Of course I'm trying to contact you guys! I wanna get out of here!_

_Calm down, _Daniel said with boredom. _This is your fault anyways._

_What? _He shrieked, appalled.

Patrick rolled his eyes. _Don't even try to act innocent._

_Ives, you literally placed a flask filled with flammable gas and put it on the douche's table,_ Rayne reminded. _And __then__, you blew it up on his face._

Landon laughed as they recalled the incident. _Nice, man. Nice._

Ives mentally grinned. _Thanks. I believe that this is my best work yet._

Daniel smiled appreciatively. _I have to admit. That __was__ pretty impressive._

_You guys! We're getting off topic here, _I reminded them.

_Oh, right._

_So, what are we gonna do? _Patrick asked.

_You could sing that song, _Rayne suggested to me.

_What song? _Ives asked curiously.

_The song that she sang when your stupid ass fell off the roof or our last school and you "survived." Everyone thought you were a superhero or some shit. Remember?_

Daniel and Landon laughed at this. _Oh, I remember that._ Patrick grinned.

Ives pouted. _I still say we should have let them keep praising me._

_No, Ives. _I rolled my eyes. I turned back to Rayne's suggestion. _I could sing it, but I'd have to change it up a bit. _Everyone nodded. Landon was smiling at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's just that I've turned you into my own little prodigy," he grinned. I beamed at him.

"I only learned from the best.

_What are they doing? _I faintly heard Ives ask in my head.

_Being lovesick fools, I swear – _

I decided to pull myself away from the mind link.

"Come on, guys." I grabbed Landon's hand and we flew back to the school. The others trailed behind us. As we reached the school, we saw that the faculty and students had already gathered in our school football field.

"Well, this makes it easier," Patrick commented.

"Thankfully," Daniel said with relief.

"You ready?" Landon asked. I nodded and closed my eyes. I began to sing to the tune of Once Upon a December from one of my favorite movies, Anastasia.

_Fighting kids, exploding things  
>Things you'll never remember<br>And this song, I did sing  
>Should make you forget this September<em>

Opening my eyes, I saw that my family was looking at me with amazement.

"Your voice never gets old, I swear," Rayne smiled.

"Thank you," I grinned. "Did it work?"

"Yeah," Daniel answered. "Look down."

Following his command, I saw that the song _did_ work. Everyone below looked confused as to why they were gathered in the field. While singing, I willed to make them forget about the explosion and the fight between the two Hales and us. However, I let them remember about the Cullens as new kids. Speaking of them, I didn't bother to erase their memories. It would be too much of a hassle to have a _second_ first meeting.

_Oh shit! It worked, Bella. Thanks! _ Ives exclaimed suddenly. _I'm on my way there._

"Ives is on the way," I announced.

Patrick groaned. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"Get over it," Rayne chuckled.

"How confused do you guys think the Cullens will be tomorrow?" Daniel asked devilishly.

I grinned at him. "Oh so, _now_, you want to do this," I teased.

"I just really don't like how we're being mistaken as vampires. That's what bothers me so much, not messing with them," he explained.

"Yeah, well, I'm not so keen on the idea either," Landon agreed, glancing at me, "But if it gives us the chance to fuck with their heads, then I'll go with it."

Patrick grinned. "I can already imagine what kinds of fuckeries we're going to pull."

"Fuckeries?" we all asked with amusement.

"What?" he asked innocently. "It's not like I – "

"You asshole! That was my word!" Ives shouted at him as he finally arrived. He flew for a couple for seconds until he finally reached us.

"_Oh_, I see that Ives is also rubbing off on you," I joked, playfully poking his side. Patrick scowled at me.

"No."

Ives grinned this time. "Then explain why you were jacking my word," he said with a raised eyebrow. Patrick huffed indignantly and crossed his arms.

"I don't have to explain anything to you."

"Okay, guys," Rayne chuckled, "Break it up."

I flew closer to Landon's side and intertwined our hands. "Why don't you guys head on home? Warn Adrien and Cassandra. We'll probably have some unwanted visitors later," Landon told them. I nodded beside him.

"And can someone please get rid of the evidence from the explosion?" I pleaded with them. "Get rid of all the smoke."

"I got that covered," Patrick said. I gave him a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Pat."

"What about you guys?" Daniel asked.

"We'll pick up Rhia and Marc, then we'll meet up with you guys."

Rayne nodded, mock saluting Landon. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Yes, sir!" she grinned, "Come on, guys!" They grumbled and followed her home.

Before they disappeared into the distance, I heard Ives faintly mutter, "When did she become the boss?"

Landon and I chuckled softly, hearing it. I turned to him and motioned towards the ground.

"Let's go?" I suggested. He nodded. We flew back to the ground and got inside the car. After settling into the seat, I sighed and glanced at him. "Are _you_ okay?"

He gave me a small smile. "Yeah. I'm good."

"Are you sure?" I bit my lip worriedly. "You know that I would never go back to him, right?"

He grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know. It's not you I'm worried about. It's _them_," he spat. "I don't have a good feeling about them, Bella. Whenever we're near them, I get this prickling feeling at the back of my neck."

"Premonition?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "Maybe I'm just being paranoid." Smiling softly, he lifted our joined hands and began kissing my knuckles. "After all, you seem to be able to handle yourself pretty well."

I leaned towards him and landed a kiss on his neck. "You taught me well."

"Damn right. I can't have any other man putting their hands on you," he teased with some seriousness.

"So territorial," I grinned. He pretended to bite me. I giggled as he nuzzled my neck. "I love you, Landon. Really."

He glanced up and locked our eyes together. "I love you too, _beautiful_," he grinned. I leaned in to place a kiss on his lips, but my pocket began to buzz.

"What the – "

I snapped my phone open and answered, "Hello?"

"Is this Miss Bella Roux?" the person, a female, on the other side asked. Landon gave me a questioning look.

"Yes, this is she."

"I think you better get here immediately. It concerns your siblings," she said with urgency.

_Fuck,_ both Landon and I thought.

"Yes, of course."

"Please. Hurry." Before I could speak again, the line hung up.

Landon groaned. "Ugh! What did they do now?"

_RHIA! MARC!_

_Crap_, they thought back. I tried to shout at them once again, but they had already removed themselves from my reach.

"Well?" Landon asked.

"They pulled themselves out of the link," I muttered with frustration. "Can you drive as quick as possible? Please?" I begged. He nodded and proceeded to do this.

Luckily, the school is only a couple of blocks down the street. Landon and I could have just easily flown there, but we had to keep up our appearances. I just dealt with Ives' idiocy, I don't think I could deal with my own as well in the same day.

Landon quickly found a parking spot. As soon as we got out of the car, Rayne tapped into my mind.

_We have a problem._

I let Landon in on the conversation. _What now?_ I groaned.

_Your pathetic excuse of an ex is here with his fucking family_, she said, _Again_.

_Already?_ I shrieked. _Oh my God. I do not have the patience to deal with all of this in just one day!_

_Well, tell them to fuck off,_ Landon growled.

_Don't you think we've tried that already?_ Rayne snapped._ They're annoying as hell, Bella. Make them leave. Please._

_Where's Adrien and Cassandra?_

_They're working, but we've warned them both. You know Dad, Bella. No matter how much he might hate them because of what they did to you, he's still hospitable as fuck,_ she complained.

Landon groaned. _Let me guess. He wouldn't let you kick them out._

_Yes! He even told me to invite them into the house. Can you believe him?_

_Actually, I can. That sounds just like something Dad would do._

_Okay_, I groaned. _So let me recap today so far, the Cullens popped back into my life again, Ives __blew__ up the school, Rhia and Marc are possibly in trouble – no, scratch that, they __are__ in trouble – and now the Cullens are back again. I see we've come a full circle,_ I said sarcastically, dragging my palm down my face in frustration.

_That's actually a pretty nice sarcastic comment, _Rayne commented. I mentally glared at her. _Right, sorry. Off topic. Anyways… what? What did those two do __again__?_

_We don't know,_ Landon answered.

_We're actually already at their school. We're about to pick them up._ _Do you mind? We'll be there soon. Just… try to hold them off for a while,_ I pleaded with Rayne.

_Okay. Fine, but I don't know how long I'll be able to keep them off._

Daniel, Patrick, and Ives suddenly joined the conversation.

_What do you mean, you?_

_We're the ones keeping them off!_

_You're just standing there looking like an idiot!_

I could just imagine Rayne smiling sheepishly. Even during my mid-life crisis, I managed to crack a smile.

_Okay, sheesh. We'll see you guys later. Hurry, 'kay?_

All four of them finally broke off from the link. I turned to look at Landon. He gave me a shrug and offered his hand. I took it and we hurriedly walked to Edinburgh Elementary's main office.

As I opened the door, a bell rang above us, notifying them of our presence. The principal was quick to appear before us.

"Oh, thank God you're here," she breathed out with relief.

"What happened, Principal Blake?" Landon asked worriedly. "What did they do this time?"

"They didn't do anything. Oh, heavens no! In fact, I'm worried about them."

I looked at her with confusion. "Excuse me? Why would you be worried about them?"

"I think it would be better if I brought you to them."

**OH SHIZNITS. What kind of shenanigans did Rhia and Marc get into? Haha xD**

**I hope you guys liked this chapter. I promise to update soon!**

**I know it's not New Year's yet but I won't talk to you guys until much later in the week so... HAPPY NEW YEAR'S everybody! What's your New Year's resolution?**

**Please don't be shy and REVIEW! Let me know what you think :)**


	13. Destruction

**I hope you all had a good New Year's. I can't believe it's already 2012! WHOOOO!**

**And thus, this is my first chapter update of the 2012. I hope you guys enjoy :)**

Chapter 13: Destruction

**Bella POV**

Previously…

_I looked at her with confusion. "Excuse me? Why would you be worried about them?"_

"_I think it would be better if I brought you to them."_

* * *

><p>She led the way for us. While following her, Landon and I threw questioning glances at each other.<p>

_What the hell?_ I asked.

He shrugged. _I have __no__ idea._

The principal opened the door to the nurse's office, and we were faced with two very, _very_ pale kids. I mean, Rhia and Marc are usually pale, but they're like _really_ pale.

I gasped. "What happened to you guys?" I ran over to them and placed both of my hands on each of their foreheads. I hissed at the contrast of their frigid temperature against my fiery heat. I glanced back at Landon and saw him sigh with relief.

_What are you relieved for? They're sick!_ I shrieked at him.

_They're not sick, Bella, _he said simply.

_What?_

_I'll explain to you later._

Principal Blake was bouncing on her heels nervously. "We don't know what happened to them. Honestly, they were just fine this morning. It had nothing to do with the environment of our school. I swear!"

_Ah. She's worried we'll sue them_.

"Don't worry," I assured her, "I'm sure it's just time for the flu season for the both of them."

I looked at Rhia and saw that she was laughing inside. I turned to Marc, who was trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Oww, Bella. I feel really sick," Marc fake coughed.

"Can we go home?" Rhia said in a nasally voice.

_Wow, that was actually pretty believable._

_Thank you._ She threw me a quick smirk.

"I think we'll take it from here Principal Blake," Landon told her. She nodded.

"Okay. I hope you two feel better," she said to Rhia and Marc.

Rhia smiled sweetly at her. "Thank you, Miss Blake." Marc nodded next to her.

"Yeah. Thank you."

I shook my head at them and led them out. Landon kept a hand on my back, guiding me. As soon as we left the parking lot, I turned around and blew up at all three of them.

"Okay. What the hell was that? I mean, seriously?"

"Chill, Bella. They've just obviously picked up on a trick I used to do when I was their age," Landon explained, a small smirk forming on the corner of his lips.

I looked at Rhia and Marc and saw that they already looked back to normal. "What?" I asked with confusion. "How the…"

"Remember what I said before? We can control anything that has to do with fire," Landon reminded me, "Well, I mean, you can now too, but that's besides the point."

Rhia rolled her eyes at him and continued for him. "What he means is, because we have the power to control fire, Marc and I simply removed our body heat for the moment to make it seem like we were freezing to death."

"_What?_ Why would you do that?" I shrieked at them.

Landon let out a small chuckle. "Well, when I used to do it, I did it because I just didn't feel like going to school. I mean, Dad would force me to go, but once I got there, I would do it so that the nurse would have no choice but to send me home."

I glared at him. "Not helping."

"Sorry."

Marc looked up at me with his puppy dog eyes. "We only did it because Rhia felt that something bad was going to happen today."

I turned to Rhia. "Okay, now how did you know _that?_"

"You forget, Bella. I get the premonitions too. I just get more accurate foretelling than you guys do," she said.

I looked at Landon. "She does?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "I don't know why, I guess it's just something special she has."

"And by more accurate," she interrupted, "I mean, that I know for a fact that the Cullens have come back into your life again, Ives blew up the school – God, that idiot – and that the Cullens are trying to break into our house, like right now."

My jaw dropped and I gaped at her. "How'd you know all that?"

"Like I said, my premonitions are more accurate, meaning when I get the feeling, I already know what's going to happen. It's not like you guys' where all you get is the feeling, nothing more. It must suck not knowing what's going to happen."

"Isn't she so cool?" Marc grinned. "After she told me what was going to happen, I knew we had to get home. We couldn't let the Cullens take you away again." He shook his head furiously.

I smiled softly at him and ruffled his hair. "They're not going to take me away Kangaroux," I said, kissing his cheek. Glancing at Rhia, I saw that she didn't look too sure about my statement. I was going to question her about it, but decided not to.

"Okay, well, we need to get going," Landon reminded.

"Right," I muttered, "Get in the car."

The two followed my order without a fight. Thank God.

Before Landon started the car, I turned around and looked at Rhia suspiciously.

"So basically, that day, you knew that Ives was going to run into a pole?"

She grinned sheepishly at my accusation.

"Of course."

"So why didn't you stop – Oh, nevermind. I already know your answer."

I sat back in my seat, as she broke out into laughter.

"You have to admit. It was funny as heck," she cackled.

Landon and Marc were also shaking with laughter. Seeing them, I couldn't help but join in. Their laughter was contagious.

"Okay, guys," I tried to say, still letting out small bubbles of laughter, "Let's go kick out some vampire butt."

Landon grinned at me. "About time."

He sped out of the parking lot and towards our house. Looking back, I scrutinized Rhia.

"What?" she asked a bit too innocently.

"What else have you felt?"

"Nothing."

I glared at her. "Don't lie to me. I can smell your bullshit anywhere."

"Bella!" Marc scolded. I gave him a faint smile.

"Sorry, Marc."

Landon let out a small chuckle. "It's so weird how you can be a bad and good girl at the same time."

I playfully punched him. "Shut up." Rhia snickered. I turned back to her. "Don't think I've forgotten." She scowled at me.

"Forget about it, Bella. Besides, you can't change the future," she said forcefully.

"Yes, you can," I insisted. Landon shook his head at me.

"I can't believe I'm admitting this, but she's right. You _can't_ change the future."

I scrunched my eyebrows up in confusion. "But… Alice…"

"Your ex-leech can only see the decisions of people, not the future, despite what she might believe," Rhia contradicted, "Sure, you can influence what decision someone might make, but the future is set in stone. Fate says so herself."

"Fate?"

Marc nodded enthusiastically beside her. "Yeah, Fate talks to Rhia." I looked at Landon, who gave me a shrug.

"Don't ask me. This is the first time I'm hearing any of this crap."

Rhia gave me a "duh" look. "How do you think I get such accurate premonitions? Faye gives them to me. That's why when I feel something, it's going to happen for sure, one way or another."

"So, you're saying that even if you try to stop it, it'll still happen later on?"

She smirked at me. "_Oh_, little Bella is catching on." I glared at her.

"Meaning, even if we stopped Ives from crashing into the pole, he still would have done the same thing seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even years down the road," Marc piped up. _I swear, times like these are when Marc actually decides to sober out. I think Rhia's rubbing off on him._

Looking back, Landon asked suspiciously, "And why are you telling us this now? Does Dad even know?"

"Of course, Dad knows, you idiot," she said rolling her eyes.

"Watch it," Landon warned.

"Wow, I'm _so_ scared," she said sarcastically. "Like I was saying, Mom, Dad, and Marc know. I don't know, I guess I just never felt like telling you guys," she shrugged.

"But why tell us now?" I asked.

At this question, her eyes glazed over the slightest bit.

"_Because_…" Marc sang. At this, Rhia relaxed.

"Yeah, just because. I don't have to explain anything to you."

I shared a look with Landon. "Might as well drop it," he suggested.

I gave Rhia one more glance. "We'll eventually go back to this, you know that."

"Yeah, yeah."

At her final statement, Landon drove up into our driveway. "Ready?"

I nodded. We all got out of the car cautiously. As soon as I was out of my seat, Landon was already beside me. He linked our hands together almost instantaneously.

"Do we teleport?" Marc asked.

"No," I answered, "As far as they know, we're human-drinking vampires."

"WHAT?"

"Calm down, Rhia," Landon said. "I guess they mistook the pale skin and red eyes."

I rolled my eyes at this. "The dumb idiots."

"So, what are we gonna do?" Marc asked.

"We'll walk into the house like normal people," I replied simply.

Rhia snorted. "Right, like _normal_ people."

Both Landon and I frowned at her. "Just play along, okay?" Landon pleaded.

"Fine. Come on, Marc." She grabbed Marc's hand and they approached the front door.

I took a look at Landon. He gave me a smile of reassurance. Leaning up on my toes, I placed a soft, lingering kiss on his lips. "I'm with you. Always remember that," I murmured against his lips.

"I know," he smiled, "And I'll always be yours too. Remember that."

"Oh, break it up!" Rhia shouted.

"Yeah!" Marc agreed.

Landon and I grinned at each other and finally followed them.

Nothing could have prepared me from the sight that I was met with as we opened the front door. Landon and I shared worried looks.

Adrien's most favorite vases were splattered all over the floor in millions of pieces. Our couches had rips and tears in them, almost as if someone had dug a knife into it and dragged it down. The walls had cracks on them.

Rayne, Patrick, Ives, and Daniel were couched offensively, ready to attack at any second. The Cullens looked shell-shocked, their mouths gaping at the three.

Daniel was the first to acknowledge our presence. His eyes quickly moved to us. Catching his action, the Cullens turned around and met my gaze.

"Holy. Shit," Landon muttered.

"What the hell did you guys do?" Rhia shrieked at them.

"You guys are gonna be in _so_ much trouble!" Marc sang.

"Adrien is going to kill you guys."

"It wasn't our fault!" Patrick defended, "It was theirs!"

"Yeah, Bella. We swear. They were the ones who trashed our place first!" Ives agreed.

I glanced at Rayne and Daniel. Their eyes betrayed what Patrick and Ives were claiming.

"Why is it that I'm finding that so hard to believe?" I asked them. I spared the Cullens a look.

"Why don't you believe us?" Ives cried out.

"Stop being so dramatic, Ives, really," Landon said, rolling his eyes.

"She doesn't believe you because you're lying," Alice said.

"Shut up, leech!"

"Will you stop saying that?" Rosalie growled, "Last time we checked you guys are vampires too."

Rhia turned to stare at me. "Really, Bella? Really?" I shrugged.

"So what?"

"I'm so confused!" Emmett wailed. My family and I shared smirks.

"You should be," Rayne snapped.

"You were the first one to throw a vase at us," Jasper accused Ives.

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was – "

"Jasper! Will you just _shut up_? This _child_ will obviously never give up," Edward blew up.

We were all stunned speechless at his outburst.

"Don't get mad at Jasper, Edward. If anyone is to be blamed of why we're even here today, it's you!"

"Me? You were the one who insisted I talk to Bella when she first arrived at Forks. So, this is _your_ fault."

"Don't you pass the blame to me, Edward! Never did I ever support you leaving Bella, especially leaving her in the damn woods. What the hell were you thinking?"

After their mini-fight, both Edward and Alice were left panting, breathing in air that they didn't even need.

_Wow_, I commented.

_Talk about sibling rivalry, man,_ Patrick said.

_Whatever, they still smell_, Marc piped up, wrinkling his nose at the same time.

_At least they forgot about us,_ Landon said,_ for the moment._

_I am __not__ a child!_

_Shut up, Ives!_

"What are you doing?" Jasper asked inquisitively, his head cocked to the side.

"What?" we all snapped at him.

Edward and Alice finally broke off their glare at each other to pay attention to us.

"Yeah," Rosalie began to say with wonder, "I've been noticing it too."

"How they look at each other, right?" Emmett added.

Jasper nodded. "It's almost as if…"

"As if what?" I retorted.

"Almost as if you guys are having silent conversations," Alice answered, "Yeah, I've noticed."

"It's exactly how Alice and Edward look like when they're doing the exact same thing," Emmett nodded.

"And so what if we can silently converse?" Rhia bit out, "It's none of your business."

The Cullens snapped their attentions towards her, looking bewildered, as if they couldn't believe that the same nine year old had just reprimanded them.

"How old are you, sweety?" Alice asked.

My family and I snickered.

_Oh, Pixie's gonna get it!_

_She's screwed._

Rhia's eyes narrowed into slits and stared Alice down. "What did you call me?" she hissed.

"What are you, like eight?" Emmett piped up in a teasing manner.

_Oh. Shit._

_Uh, oh… he's gonna die now too._

"I'm nine for your damn information. Yeah, that's right I cussed. I don't care. Don't talk to me as if we're friends or even acquaintances. I don't like you. In fact, I loathe you. Why are you even here? Bella doesn't want you here. _Obviously_. We don't want you here. No one wants you here. Look at our house. It's ruined because of you."

By this point, Rhia already had Alice and Emmett pinned up against the wall. Jasper, Rosalie, and Edward had tried to pull her away, but Rhia kept them back, using powerful winds from her silent flapping wings.

"Okay, okay," Emmett choked.

"I'm sorry," Alice cried out, her eyes wide with fear.

Rhia finally dropped them and let them collapse onto the floor. "Serves you right. Don't you _ever_ talk to me like that ever again. Do you understand?" she demanded.

Alice and Emmett nodded swiftly. Rhia turned around and proceeded to give the remaining three Cullens the same stern look. Jasper and Rosalie flinched under her stare. Edward, I could tell, was also affected but he was just trying to play it off.

"Why don't you just leave us alone? I think you've done damage here."

"Bella?" Alice asked pleadingly. I actually wasn't at all surprised to realize that I really didn't feel anything for her anymore. I no longer felt any sort of sisterly bond towards her.

"No," I said sternly, "Rhia is right. You're not welcomed here."

"Bella!" Edward shouted, outraged. "How could you… how can you stay here with these murderers?"

Daniel couldn't be held responsible for his next actions. He flew towards Edward and slammed him into the nearest wall. He lodged his arm onto Edward's neck and put enough pressure to dent a car.

Edward began clawing at the walls, trying to escape.

"Edward!" the Cullens screeched.

"Stay back!" Rayne ordered them.

"Oh. Shit," Ives said with excitement.

"Wow," Patrick smirked with awe.

"Go, Daniel. Go, go, go!" Marc chanted with excitement.

Rhia crossed her arms with a smug look. "I told you so."

_Landon?_ I asked pleadingly.

_The douche had it coming, Bella. Don't tell me you didn't foresee this._

The Cullens furiously tried to reach Edward, but we restrained them. Now, is definitely not the time to interfere with Daniel. In fact, I've never seen Daniel _this_ mad.

"We. Are. Not. Monsters," he growled into Edward's face, slamming him into the wall once again.

"Edward!"

"You fucking hypocrite. Don't you ever say shit like that about my family ever again, you disgusting little asshole. Why don't you go look in a mirror before you start pointing fingers?"

With one final shove, Daniel let go of Edward, throwing him towards the Cullens.

"I can't believe you would allow this!" Rosalie shrieked at me. I didn't bother to comment. Instead, I pushed myself closer to Landon. Every Cullen looked worried out of their minds for Edward.

"I suggest you leave now," Rayne demanded with steely eyes.

"Before I do something I _won't _regret," Daniel roared.

With one final glance at me, all the Cullens flew out of the house. Before they left, however, Alice gave me a look, a look that told me that this is far from over.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked them all.

Taking in calming breaths, Daniel nodded and so did everyone else. Marc ran to me and hugged my leg.

"They're not coming back, are they?" he asked. I wrapped an arm around his shoulder and hugged him to me. I looked up at Landon, who was looking at me with unsure eyes.

"I hope not, Munchkin. I hope not."

"Who the fuck do they think they are?" Ives started to rant.

"Yeah," Patrick agreed, "They were the ones who barged into our house and they had the nerve to be angry? What fucking douchebags!"

"Can you guys, please, just shut up for a second?" Rayne ordered. They followed, seeing Daniel's state. Rayne was rubbing his back in comfort, and whispering soothing things in his ear.

"Daniel?" I asked.

He looked up and gave me a weak smile. "I'm okay, Bella. Really."

I gave him an assuring smile. "Okay, well, we might as well start cleaning now before Adrien gets – "

"MY HOUSE!" a loud yell accompanied the slamming of the front door.

We all flinched, knowing full well who had just arrived.

**Muahahaha! Yes, I know, I'm full of cliffhangers lately, but that's what makes this story much more interesting, right? **

**So, how did you guys like... the second confrontation? Rhia's anger? Daniel's anger? Rhia and Marc's shenanigans?**

**Don't be shy :) REVIEW!**


	14. Beautiful Bella

**IMPORTANT NOTICE:**

**Okay, so... I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I can't say SORRY enough! I've literally just dropped from the face of the earth.**

**School has been hell for me. Like, seriously. I decided to take AP Psychology for my 2nd semester of school and it's decided to take over my life.**

**This will be my last update until Summer. Hopefully, summer will give me the time I need to write more. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 14: Beautiful Bella

**Bella POV**

Previously…

"_MY HOUSE!" a loud yell accompanied the slamming of the front door._

_We all flinched, knowing full well who had just arrived._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Adrien," I greeted nervously, rubbing my neck.<p>

"Who did this?" Cassandra gasped, appearing beside Adrien. Her eyes scanned the room with shock and slight anger.

Rayne decided to step up. "See what I told you, Dad? This is what being nice to the Cullens results in." Adrien, however, gave her a look that shut her up almost immediately.

"Oh my God!" he started screeching like a cleaning OCD woman. "How am I going to clean all this up? I just dusted the place yesterday! I'm going to need new furniture and – OH HELL NO! Are those my favorite vases?"

Honestly, the scene of Adrien freaking out would have been hilarious as fuck, if he just didn't look so pissed off.

Cassandra stood in front of us with both her hands on her waists. "Who threw the first vase?" she demanded to know.

"It was the Cullens, we swear!" both Ives and Patrick defended at the same time. Taking one look at them, Cassandra sighed.

"Seriously, Ives? Why?" she cried out in frustration.

Ives' eyes widened. "What? How did you know it was me? I mean… oh, shit."

"IVES KRIS FIORE!" Adrien bellowed out lividly. "Boy, when I'm done with you… oh, I ought'to – "

"Adrien, calm down," Cassandra ordered. Keeping a glare on Ives, Adrien followed. "Breathe, okay? In. Out. In. Out. Okay, there you go. We'll be fine, okay? We can get as much furniture as you want. We'll buy more vases. We'll be fine."

Finally calming down, Adrien nodded. "Fine," he muttered, "but Ives, you're grounded."

"WHAT?"

"Do you really want to argue with me right now?"

Ives' eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, sir."

"I thought so."

Seeing an open opportunity in the situation, Patrick piped up, "Oh, and Ives blew up the school today."

"YOU WHAT?" Adrien and Cassandra shrieked.

Ives glared at Patrick and mouthed, 'I am so going to kill you once this is over.'

Patrick smirked. 'We'll see about that.'

"Honestly, in his defense, the douche deserved it," Rayne defended Ives.

"What douche?" Cassandra asked.

"Edward, Cass," I answered. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, honey. It completely slipped my mind. Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," I promised her, "Adrien?"

He sighed and pulled me into his arms. "Okay, I guess I sort of understand this… this _mess_." I could tell that he was glaring at Ives as he was hugging me. Pulling away, he looked me in the eyes. "What are you going to do?"

"We're going to leave," Landon said firmly.

My attention snapped at him swiftly. "What?"

"Yeah, what?" everyone echoed.

"We are not going to leave," I said, "Plain and simple."

"Well, we can't stay here."

I shook my head. "Of course, we can. I can handle them being here, Landon."

He scoffed. "Yeah, right. Look at how much damage they've already caused and it's only been the first day. The _first_ day, Bella. I can't imagine more days dealing with them."

"We can't just leave everything behind," Adrien told his son, "We're supposed to be here for a few more years. We can't just up and leave."

"Dad's right, Landon, and so is Bella," Rhia agreed.

"Well, I have to agree with Landon," Daniel said, "I can't handle seeing them again."

"I want to stay," Rayne decided.

"Me too," Ives and Patrick agreed.

"We can handle them!" Marc exclaimed with innocence.

"Honey?" Adrien asked Cassandra. She sighed.

"I'm gonna have to stick with the majority here, guys. I'm sorry," she apologized to Daniel and Landon. "Both Adrian and I have stable jobs right now. The hospital here needs me."

"Bella," Landon looked at me pleadingly, "They're going to ruin everything."

"No, they're not. They can try, but we're stronger than that."

Noticing the rising tension, Rayne decided to step in. "How about you guys talk about it?" she suggested.

"Fine," I muttered, "Let's take it outside, Landon."

He frowned as he followed me outside.

Before stepping a foot outside of the house, I heard Rhia in my mind. _Remember, Bella. You can't change the future_.

I turned around to look at her but she was already out of sight. I sighed and thought grudgingly to her, _What's going to happen, Rhia?_

As soon as we were a pretty good distance from the house, Landon finally spoke. "What is this really about, Bella?"

I turned around and looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean? This is about _us_ staying because we were here first. If anyone is going to leave, it's going to be _them_."

He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "You and I both know that they're not going anywhere. As long as they think that you're a human-drinking vampire, they're going to think that there's a chance to convert you, to get _you_ back."

"I thought we already went over this!" I cried out, "They're not going to get _me_ back. They're _never_ going to get my affection, my pity, my soul, my love, or _me_…" I walked up to him and tipped my head back to stare him straight in the eye. "They will _never_, _ever_ get me back. Never. Do you understand that?"

"How would you know?" he challenged, his currently grey eyes unyielding.

My jaw dropped and I stared at him disbelievingly. "How can you even _ask_ me that?" I shouted, thumping his chest. The force of my punch made him reel back, but his expression stayed the same, angry yet blank at the same time.

"You heard Rhia, the future is set in stone. _We_ don't know the future."

"But Rhia does!"

"Let's be realistic here, Bella. Do you honestly believe that Rhia would tell us what's going to happen?" he gave me a scrutinizing look.

I let out a breath of annoyance. "What the hell is your problem, Landon? Is this even about the Cullens anymore? Or is this about you not having enough faith in me?" When he didn't answer me, I snorted. "Fifty years, Landon. Fifty _fucking_ years, and you still haven't let go of the fact that Edward was my first love. He may have been my first, but you sure as hell are going to be my _last._ What's so hard to understand about that?"

He grabbed my wrists and pulled me to him. "It's hard to understand when the threat is actually there. _Here._ You may say that you don't feel anything, but there's always going to be something there."

I pulled my wrists out of his grip and grabbed his hand, placing it on top of my heart. "Do you want to know what's here?" I demanded. He looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. I used my other hand to force him to look at me. "Do you want to know what's in _here_?" I repeated. "It's filled with _you_. Only you. There's no space for anyone else."

I could tell that his resolve had finally broken. "Bella," he whispered, his voice so broken and vulnerable. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him. His head burrowed into my neck, comforting himself with my scent. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Shh," I cooed, stretching on my toes to kiss the corner of his lips. "I get it, okay? They're here and they're a threat. I get it." I twined my hands behind his neck as his arms snaked around my waist. "Well, you _think_ they're a threat, but they're not. They never will be. Okay?"

He nodded. "I take it we're staying then?"

I gave him a weak smile. "We were here first. Let's not give them the satisfaction by leaving."

"Okay," he finally relented, placing soft kisses on my neck. I sighed with contentment. "Just know that I've never doubted you, I guess I just kind of had an emotional breakdown there."

"It's okay," I smiled at him, letting him know that I understood his actions. "Besides," I grinned, "I think it was about time we had our first big fight anyways."

He smiled. "You would." I grinned cheekily and kissed his lips, several times actually. "So…"

"Hmm?" I asked, my eyes closed as he continued kissing me.

"After fights, isn't there supposed to be angry make-up sex?" I opened my eyes at the suggestion. He wiggled his eyes enticingly. I smirked seductively. I pulled on his collar and forced him down to my level.

Nearing my lips to his own, I whispered, "Well, I'd say, that's the best thing I've heard all day."

I squealed as he lifted me off the ground and carried me bridal style. I laughed carelessly as he brought as back home. As soon as he shut the front door closed, he attacked my mouth hungrily, quickly getting rid of the garments on my body.

"The… others… _oh shit_," I managed to get out, moaning the last part.

"I told Rayne to kick them out," he answered swiftly, pulling away for the slightest moment and then covering my mouth once again.

Somehow, we managed to make it back to our room. By this point, I was already half-naked, wrapped around Landon in only my bra and panties. Landon's knees hit the edge of the bed and we collapsed on it.

I placed my hands on his chest for leverage and hovered over him, placing kisses all over his body.

"Bella," he moaned softly. I think that he's had enough teasing because he flipped us over and took charge once again. "You're mine," he growled into my neck.

"I'm yours… _oh_…"

His lips placed wet kisses all over my body. He started from my toes and lingered on my stomach. I was left writhing on the bed, tangling my fingers through his hair. He brought my legs to wrap around his waist. Finally he began to go further up. He began to suck the swell of my breast that was peaking out of my bra.

"Landon…" I breathed heavily, my eyes fluttering with pleasure.

"Mine," he murmured again.

"Yours, _shit…_" I moaned.

I grabbed the hem of his shirt and began to pull it off. He pulled away from my body for the slightest bit just to get his shirt off. As soon as his shirt was off, he attached himself to me once again.

I threw my head back when his lips reached the back of my ear. He caught my earlobe in between his teeth and began to tug on it. "Mine," he whispered in my ear again.

While he occupied himself kissing me, I reached down and started to unbuckle his belt. I had to pause a couple of times because of the pleasure Landon sent through my very core. Finally, I managed to completely unbuckle his belt and unbutton his jeans. Using my feet, I pulled the jeans off of him.

"_Fuck_," I moaned when I felt Landon's lips wrap themselves around my right nipple. I hadn't even realized that he had taken my bra off. Never, did he keep my other breast abandoned. He kept a hand there squeezing at all times. When time finally came, he switched.

"You taste so good," he murmured huskily. His voice was enough to send electric-like currents run down my spine. I shivered with desire. "Just like a cinnamon bun." I could feel his smile against my lips.

"You would," I grinned, placing kisses on his jaw.

"I need you now, Bella. I can't take this anymore," he groaned.

I smirked seductively at him, wrapping my arms around his neck to pull him closer to me. "I was just waiting up on you," I teased with what I hoped to be an alluring voice, "I don't know where you got the idea that I wanted foreplay."

His eyes darkened with lust. "You're playing with fire," he hissed against my skin.

I leaned in to whispered in his ear. "What if I _want_ to be burned?" I traced the contour of his ear with my tongue. I felt him quiver on top of me. I smirked to myself.

He made quick work to get my panties off of me. At the sight of my bare pussy, his eyes rolled back and his nose flared up. "Shit, Bella," he breathed out, "You're so wet."

"For you," I murmured, "It will always be for you… _shit, oh God_!"

In one swift movement, Landon entered me, making us become one. I bit my lip with desire, trying to keep in my screams.

"Shit, Bella," he hissed, "Scream for me, baby. Don't hold it in."

He began to move faster inside me, his hands gripping my waist tightly as he tried to get deeper into me. When he hit _that spot_, I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I screamed for my life, my mouth and eyes wide open.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," I chanted, craving for more.

"That's it," he panted, "Just a little bit more." He slowed his movements and was more concerned about hitting _that spot_ over and over again until I couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm so close," I gasped, my eyes rolling to the back of my head.

"Come for me, Bella. For _me_, beautiful," he murmured in that panty-dropping voice.

A final tremble ran through me as I reached the height of my orgasm. A loud scream erupted from my mouth as Landon brought me towards new heights. "Landon," I gasped. I rode out my last wave of pleasure, Landon trailing close by.

"God, Bella," he purred against my neck as he collapsed on top of me.

I smiled sheepishly at him, running my fingers through his hair. "How's that for angry makeup sex?" I joked half-heartedly.

"There was nothing angry about it," he grinned, "But fuck, Bella. That's probably the best sex we've had in a while."

I smirked. "Yeah, well, considering we hadn't had sex in weeks, I'd say it was."

He groaned. "We can't always have sex because there are _kids in the house_," he mocked Adrien and Cassandra. "Fuck them."

I laughed at his dejected tone. "Oh, come on, it's not _that_ bad."

"Yes, it is. Especially because you make it a point to make me horny all the fucking time," he muttered.

"Hey, hey," I chuckled, "I don't see you complaining."

He gazed into my eyes and smirked. Both our eyes are currently red. This tends to happen a lot after sex. For some reason, we just lose control of everything during our throes of passion.

"Throes of passion, Bella? Really?" he teased, nipping my nose.

I pulled away, giggling. "What would you like to call it then?"

"Throes of passion actually sounds really nice," he grinned. I threw my head back and laughed. I looked at Landon and saw that he was smiling at me.

"What?" I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"You're just… you're really beautiful, especially like this," he said looking delighted.

I smiled and caressed his face, gliding my fingertips across the expanse of his jaw and cheek. "I'd call you beautiful too, but that would emasculate you," I joked. He mock glared at me, but I saw the laughter in his eyes. "So I'll stick with handsome, breathtaking, amazing, fan-_fuckin_g-tastic…" I grinned at him. He smiled back happily.

Taking on a more serious note, his red eyes began to gaze deeply into my own. "I've asked you this before, but Bella, I seriously want us to start living on our own." My eyes met his questioningly. "I want to have more days like this. I don't want us having to make time just so that we can have sex. I want to be able to make love to you whenever the hell I want. I want you and I to start our own family."

I bit my lip. "But Landon, we can't just – "

He placed his thumb on my lip, stopping me from talking any further. "Yes, we can. Besides, it's not like we're just going to cut off everyone from our lives. They'll kill us if we did," he joked lightly. I let the crack of a smile reach my lips. "I just want us to… scratch that. I just want _us_. That's all I want."

"You already have that."

He shook his head. "No, I have _us_ and the rest of this crazy family. All I want is _us_. No crazy family to always interrupt everything."

A breath caught in my throat. "What are you trying to say?" I whispered.

He rolled over and opened the drawer to one of nightstands. I saw him pull out two things, but I couldn't quite distinguish what they were. However, I did see their shapes. The big item was a little bit boxy and the smaller of the two was small and circular.

He rolled back to face me and lifted my hand. He grabbed my charm bracelet and began attaching something to it once again. Landon has already given me a total of twelve charms during the fifty years we've been together. This would make thirteen.

"Landon, what is it?"

He finally pulled away and let me see. I gasped and felt myself hyperventilating. "Lucky thirteen, right?"

"Landon…" I trailed off and was lost for words.

While I was marveling at the little charm, I didn't realize that he had taken my left hand until I felt a cold, metal band slip through my ring finger. My eyes snapped to him and my eyes began to water, my heart thudding heavily behind my chest.

"Will you marry me, my _beautiful_ Bella?"

**I hate to leave you guys in such a CLIFFY but it's all I got for now. I hope you guys liked this chapter! :D**

**If you guys didn't read my first author's note, please read this again!**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE:**

**Okay, so... I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I can't say SORRY enough! I've literally just dropped from the face of the earth.**

**School has been hell for me. Like, seriously. I decided to take AP Psychology for my 2nd semester of school and it's decided to take over my life.**

**This will be my last update until Summer. Hopefully, summer will give me the time I need to write more.**

* * *

><p><strong>Please REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW and tell me what you guys think.<strong>

**The more feedback I get, the more inspired I just might be :)**


	15. Hurt

**I hope I haven't lost any readers and fans out there due to my lack of updating. Please stick with me :)**

**So I've started writing again. Hooray! I already have the entire story planned out from beginning to end. All I need to do now is WRITE, which let me tell you, it's so hard! Hopefully, I'll get this done so I can get started on the sequel...**

**WAIT. WHAT? I said nothing about a SEQUEL. Haha! :)**

**Enjoy this long awaited chapter!**

Chapter 15: Hurt

**Bella POV**

Previously...

_"Landon…" I trailed off and was lost for words._

_While I was marveling at the little charm, I didn't realize that he had taken my left hand until I felt a cold, metal band slip through my ring finger. My eyes snapped to him and my eyes began to water, my heart thudding heavily behind my chest._

_"Will you marry me, my beautiful Bella?"_

* * *

><p>"We are going to give the Cullens such a mindfuck today," Ives said devilishly, rubbing his hands together with a glint in his eyes.<p>

"I can't wait to see the look on their faces," Patrick grinned.

"They better not fucking approach me," Daniel grumbled as he stomped down the stairs. Rayne followed him blindly, obviously worried. No matter how much he tried to hide it, Daniel was still clearly bothered by yesterday's events.

"I'll take care of it personally if they do," Rayne assured him, taking a hold of his arm. His eyes finally softened as he looked down at her.

"Thanks," he smiled. She grinned and reached up to peck him on the lips.

"Ugh. Gross," Marc said, flinching. Rhia did the same.

"Just please don't cause any more destruction," Cassandra pleaded, "God knows how long it took me to calm Adrien last night."

"Where is he anyways?" I asked, looking around and not seeing him.

"He's still pretty pissed off about his vases." Cassandra threw Ives a stern glare, which made him cringe. "You guys know how working at the restaurant calms him down."

I nodded, understanding. As I walked over to the couch to pick up my bag, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I looked up and met everyone's eyes.

"What?"

"Why are you and Landon so quiet today?" Rayne asked, sparing Landon, who was standing off to the corner, a glance.

"Yeah," Ives piped up, "By this point, you would have already made some sick display of affection."

I bit my lip and met Landon's eyes. "We're just experiencing some after effects from yesterday."

Their eyes narrowed at me. "You're lying," Daniel flat out said.

Noticing the tension in the room, Cassandra decided to speak up. "O-kay," she said awkwardly, "I think it's time you guys went to class."

"Yeah," I mumbled. I slung my bag over my shoulder, still feeling everyone but Landon's eyes on me. "Let's go."

Everyone walked ahead of me, not sure how to react. Landon passed by me, his shoulder brushing against mine. I bit my lip at his cold movement towards me. Just as I was about to call out his name, I saw him grab his helmet. _Sigh. Guess we're riding separately today._

"Come on, guys," I told Rhia and Marc. They followed me quietly, obviously noticing the tension between Landon and me. As we reached my car, Landon zoomed passed my. I looked at his retreating back helplessly. I got into the car with Marc and Rhia in tow.

Before I could even put on my seatbelt, Rhia attacked me with questions. "Okay, what the hell is going on with you two?" she demanded. I didn't bother giving her an answer. I just looked away and started driving. She then muttered something that I couldn't quite hear, despite my enhanced hearing.

"What did you say?" I asked. She shook her head and avoided my gaze.

While driving, I could hear Marc nudging Rhia and telling her to do something. "Alright!" Rhia finally shouted. I raised an eyebrow while looking at her through the side mirror.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Your problems with Landon… it's necessary. I know I said that Fate talks to me, but I seriously don't know what just happened between the two of you. All I know is that it needed to happen," she said with a regretful tone.

I slowed down my driving and processed what she just said. "What are you trying to say, Rhia? I don't get it."

Her hand reached out to me. I was surprised she placed it comfortingly on my shoulder. "Just let fate take its course, okay?" And just like that, her hand pulled away.

I eyed her suspiciously. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Rhia?"

Marc piped up, "She's telling the truth, Bella. You and Landon have to – "

"Geez, idiot! Don't say anything!" Rhia scolded him, putting a hand on his mouth. His eyes deflated and he looked apologetic.

"Sorry," he muttered.

I pressed on the brake pedal as soon as I reached their school. "Okay, seriously. What the hell is going on? You keep talking about cryptic shi – crap. I want to know what's going to happen, Rhia," I demanded, looking back at her.

"And what difference will that make?" she asked rhetorically.

Marc's head bobbed beside her. "Yeah. Even if she tells you, there's nothing you can do about it."

"Like I said, Bella. You can't change the future. No matter what, that event will still happen," Rhia repeated.

I groaned. "Yeah, okay, whatever. Don't tell me. Get out of the car. You guys are giving me a headache."

They nodded and proceeded to get out of the car. Before leaving, Rhia leaned into the car once more. "Remember, Bella."

Once she was out of sight, I let out a breath and drove out of their school parking lot. I arrive at school and meet up with the rest of the family. While I walking towards them, I noticed the absence of a body. I searched the group.

"Where's Landon?" I asked them. They all shrugged.

"What happened anyways?" Rayne asked, "I haven't seen him like that since the Lacey incident." My hands clenched at the comparison.

"It's a problem between him and me," I said.

"Well, we're family, right?" Ives asked with a grin.

"Yeah, but… I'd really appreciate it if you guys just let us fix this ourselves," I told him. He nodded.

"Okay, I'm getting depressed," Patrick commented. I sighed in relief.

_Thanks, Pat_, I thought to him.

He gave me a small smile. _No prob, Bella._

"So, what's the status on the Cullens?" I asked them.

"Well…" Ives grinned evilly as he stuck a thumb towards the Cullens direction. "No one in the school remembers the fight or the explosion. The Cullens are currently freaking out of their minds. They believed that yesterday's fuckery was going to be the talk of the school."

"It's perfect!" Patrick explained. "I love messing with the bloodsuckers."

Even during my dire moment, I found it in me to crack a smile. "I think we all do."

"So what now?" Daniel asks.

"Now, we wait," Rayne grinned.

* * *

><p><strong>Calculus felt so awkward for me. It felt weird without Landon being in the same building as me. I was beginning to wonder where he went. I didn't want to jump to conclusions but his absence is making me really antsy. Apparently, the loss of another Phoenix in the building was also making Daniel antsy. It also doesn't help that a Cullen is in the room.<strong>

I nudged Daniel. "Are you alright?" I asked him. He shook his head quickly.

"Not really," he admitted. "You know how much I hate them, Bella. I feel like crawling out of my own skin right now."

"You can go if you'd like," I offered, rubbing his arm soothingly. He looked hesitant.

"Are you sure? Besides, I don't want to leave you with that _thing_ in the same room," he growled out, motioning towards Emmett, who was staring at us intently.

"I've been around them before, Daniel, and I don't feel as bad as you do. Really, you need to get some fresh air."

He let out a long breath and finally nodded. "Just call out to anyone, Bella. We'll be there."

I gave him a wisp of a smile. "I know. Now, go."

He nodded and walked up to the teacher, claiming that he felt sick. Ms. Callie immediately felt bad for him and gave him a note to go to the nurse. Before leaving, he gave me an assuring smile.

_I'll still be nearby_, he assured me before walking out the door.

Not even a second after Daniel left, Emmett was already sitting in Daniel's empty seat. I barred my teeth and red eyes at him.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed.

He gave me a goofy smile. _Pang._ Ouch. I didn't think that would hurt so much. "Well, Bella, darling. We do go to the same school."

I began tapping my foot and scratching the fabric of my jeans. "I meant here, sitting next to me," I said through gritted teeth. "I thought I made it clear to you and _your_ family that I don't want anything to do with you."

Just like that, his bright smile turned into a frown. _Pang._ Oh, damn it! "Do you really hate us that much, Bella?"

"It's not so much that I hate you guys, Emmett. I hate what you did to me," I spat.

"I never wanted to leave."

"Then why didn't you stay?"

"Edward made us leave."

I let out a harsh laugh at his statement. "_Edward made you?_ Come on now, Emmett. You guys are all adults, no matter how you may physically look. You didn't have to do anything Edward told you to do. It was _your _choice to leave, and _your_ choice to follow Edward."

He fell silent immediately after my rant. Right when I thought he gave up, he spoke again. "I know, Bells," he admitted with so much conviction that my heart clenched. "And it was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life. I'm so sorry that I followed Edward. He just… he convinced us all that it was for your own good."

"Ahh," I breathed out, leaning against my chair. "And we've come a full circle. _Edward knows best._ What bullshit. But hey, I guess I'm kind of glad that you all _abandoned _me. After all, had you not, I never would have found a real family with the Fiores and Rouxs."

"Bells," Emmett whispered.

I sighed and turned to look at him. His eyes were downcast and full of so much sorrow. His once cheerful and glowing eyes were dead. "Emmett, you can't expect me to just forgive you, _all_ of you, for what you did to me. It's not that easy."

"I'm not expecting you to forgive me or what we did, I just want to be your friend again, Bells. I want to be the big brother that was once always there for you."

"It's not that easy," I repeated.

The tiniest bit of hope lit up in his eyes. "I'm not asking for easy, Bells. I'm asking for _possible_."

After taking one look at his hopeful face, my walls crumbled. "Oh, damn it! They're going to hate me so much for this."

"Yes!" he exclaimed. Emmett picked me up from my seat and spun me around. In the middle of class. All eyes were turned to us and I could already imagine the gossip that will spread throughout the school.

"Mr. Cullen?" Ms. Callie asked unsurely.

He grinned sheepishly at her. "I'm sorry, Ms. Callie." She just shook her head, but I saw the hint of a smirk on her lips.

As he sat me back down on the chair, I couldn't help the small bursts of laughter that escaped from my lips. "That's so embarrassing."

"Thank you so much, Bells. You won't regret this," he smiled, "And maybe in the future, you'll forgive the others too."

"Okay, let's not get too ahead of ourselves, okay?" I told him with a bit of an edge. "I'm giving you a chance because you've never done anything else to me but _that_. I'm not willing to give anyone else in the family a chance, Emmett. That's a promise."

"Okay, okay," he said quickly, "I'm sorry I even suggested it."

"You better," I grinned, playfully punching him.

"Damn, Bells. You're so much stronger now," he teased.

I smirked. "I know."

Emmett and I bonded for the rest of class and I've got to say that I really enjoyed my time with him. I never really realized how much I missed him until today. The bell rang and Emmett's face immediately deflated. I grinned and mussed up his hair.

"Don't worry, Emmie Bear. There's always tomorrow."

He smiled. "You're right. See you tomorrow, Bells." I waved goodbye at him and grinned to myself. While walking down the halls, I had a kick to my steps. However, mid-step, I immediately thought about my next class, which included Landon in it. The thing is, I'm not sure what I'm more scared of. Walking into the room and not seeing Landon there, or walking into the room and having to face Landon's tense anger?

Cautiously, I walked into the classroom. As soon as I opened the door, I was hit with Landon's distinct minty scent. A part of me was relieved he was here, but another was scared.

I quietly took the seat next to him and avoided any form of contact.

"So you're not even going to look at me now?" I jumped from my seat at the sudden sound of his voice.

I don't know why or how, but I felt a sudden surge of anger run through my veins. "Yeah, well, I'm not exactly sure how to react towards you right now. You've been cold towards me since last night and you were missing this morning."

"I'm sorry that I'm so pissed at you right now," he said sarcastically. I clenched my hands.

"_You're_ pissed at _me?_ Landon, I should be the one pissed at you. I expected you to understand why I gave you that answer."

"I'm sorry I didn't live up to your expectations."

I opened my mouth to shout at him, but the teacher soon walked in. "Okay, kids. I'm going to make it easy on you guys. I have a meeting to go today so Mr. Chang will sub for the day. It's basically a free period."

The other students cheered while Landon and I continued to glare at each other. As soon as the teacher walked out, I continued my assault on Landon.

"Stop fucking apologizing when it's just oozing with sarcasm. I don't even know why I'm putting up with this," I spat at him.

"Then why don't you – " He stopped himself before he could even finish his sentence. _Smart move._

"Why don't I what? Stop putting up with you and get with Edward? Fucking hell, Landon. How many damn times do we have to go over this? Edward had nothing to do with my decision!"

"Well, it sure as hell seemed like it. Why else would you say _no_ to marrying me?" he half-yelled half-whispered, making sure no one else around us heard.

"The Cullens aren't always going to be the reason for every decision I make. Maybe I have freaking commitment issues!"

"Commitment issues. Right," he scoffed. "If you had commitment issues, you wouldn't have committed to live with me for the rest of your life."

"That's different!"

"I don't see any difference!"

I let out a groan of frustration, and pulled at my hair. "You're fucking impossible, Landon. Thank God, I'm finally seeing this side of you. At least now I know you're not as perfect and loving as you claimed to be."

"Yeah, well, I'm realizing that you're not as committed to me as I thought you were!"

We continued to glare each other until I finally couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed my bag and stalked away from him. I sat myself into a group of people that I loosely know. I was glad they didn't ask any questions.

As I sat there, I expected feeling Landon's eyes on me, but I didn't. When I looked up, he was gone, along with his minty scent.

As soon as class ended, I burst out of the room, crying. I rounded the corner and leaned against the wall. My sobs echoed throughout the nearly abandoned hallway, as everyone was making their way to lunch. I slid against the wall and buried my head in between my legs.

"Bella?"

"Fuck off, Edward. I really don't want to deal with you right now." I felt his cold touch on my skin and I immediately jerked up into a crouching position. "I said leave me alone!"

"Love, Landon's made you cry. You shouldn't be without someone who makes you cry."

"And who should I be with? _You?_ You've made me cry more times than I can count. You don't exactly fit that description either," I growled.

"Love – "

"And stop calling me love! I'm not your love! I was never your love! And I will never ever be your love again! Do you understand?" I yelled.

"Bella – "

I shoved him on the chest hard enough to made him skid against the cold, hard floor and ran. I burst out of the school and collapsed onto our dubbed table in the Quad. As I expected, the remaining of the family, Ives and Patrick, were already walking towards me. I knew that Rayne most likely left with Daniel.

"Bella," Ives cooed before he took me into his arms. I collapsed against him and finally let the dam broke. Patrick kept a comforting hand on my back. It would have been an amusing sight, to see Ives put aside his playful demeanor and actually be serious, had the situation not been so gloomy.

"Seriously, what happened between you and Landon? You guys were acting like the perfect couple last night and now you guys are on the edge of tearing each other apart," Patrick said.

I sniffed and stifled another sob. "I told you guys, it's between him and me. Let's just leave it at that, okay?" Ives and Patrick nodded.

"Let me hug her," Patrick demanded. Ives relented for once and let Patrick wrap his arms around me. "He doesn't deserve you – Ouch! What was that for?" Patrick yelped when Ives punched him in the arm.

"Now's not the time to be hitting on Bella, you dipshit. It's not funny."

Despite the truth of Ives' words, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "It's fine, Ives. Thanks you guys. You're the best." I slid out of Patrick's embrace just enough so that I could hug them both. "You guys are the best brothers I could ever ask for."

"Aww," Ives grinned, pretending to wipe away a fake tear, "I feel so loved." Patrick rolled his eyes at Ives but smiled at me.

"Like we said, Bella…"

"We always got yo back!" they grinned at me. I chuckled.

We all put our knuckles together and exclaimed, "Homies for life!"

I laughed a belly laugh, small tears escaping my eyes. The difference this time is that they're actually happy tears.

"We're so ghetto," I chuckled.

"It's a part of the Ives package," Ives said, wiggling his eyes suggestively.

Patrick groaned. "Well, I can't believe I'm admitting it, but this fucker is rubbing off on me."

"You finally admit it! Yes!" Ives shouted, fist pumping in the air.

"Oh, shut up!"

"Why don't you?"

I snickered. "Well, it was nice while it lasted." Ives opened his mouth to speak but someone else's voice came out.

"Bella!" Mandy's feminine voice called out. Upon reaching me, she threw her arms around me. "I heard what happened between you and Landon. Are you alright?"

I nodded. "Yeah, thanks to these two," I said, smiling at Ives and Patrick.

"Ives comforted you?" Mandy asked with surprise.

Ives gasped in mock hurt. "I can't believe you think so lowly of me."

"Oh, shut up," Mandy said with a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Hey, guys," Patrick started.

"Yeah?"

"The Cullens are staring at us," he pointed out.

At this, Ives lifted his middle finger up in the air and shouted, "Fuck off, Cullens!"

"Well, there goes his _supposed _soft side," Mandy muttered. I chuckled.

I see Edward getting out of his seat and heading towards us again. I groaned. "Ugh! I told him to leave me alone." Mandy cocked her head to the side and looked at me curiously.

"What does he want with you anyways?"

"Ex," Ives and Patrick answered for me.

"Ahh," Mandy said with understanding.

Before Edward could make it within ten feet of me, Landon appeared out of nowhere and pushed Edward back.

"Where the hell did he come from?" Mandy gasped. I mentally let out another groan.

The four of us quickly rushed towards Landon and Edward just as the rest of the Cullens were.

"I thought I told you to leave her alone!" Landon shouted, shoving Edward.

Edward quickly got up and did the same to Landon. "Who are you to dictate who she can be with?"

"Oh, I don't know," Landon said sarcastically, "Maybe her fucking boyfriend!"

"You don't get to make decisions for her!"

"Oh, yeah. Because you totally didn't do that for her!"

Edward's eyes dilated and he charged at Landon, but Landon was too quick for him. Landon was able to sidestep him and push him back down to the ground.

"Bella doesn't even love you!"

"You fucker!" Landon growled ferociously. He picked Edward up off of the floor and landed a punch on Edward's jaw. I heard the sickening crack from still a few feet away. "She sure as hell doesn't love you either!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Students were now crowding them and chanting for a good fight.

"Landon! Stop it!" I screeched. He didn't even turn around to look at me.

"He needs to understand that he doesn't have you anymore," he growled at me.

"No!" I screamed at him. At this, he turned around.

"What?" he asked with disbelief.

"_You_ need to understand that. It seems like it isn't even Edward that needs to understand that. It's _you_," I hissed. I could see Edward smirk from behind him. "And you! Wipe that fucking smirk off of your face. You have no right to even be looking at me."

"You made up with Emmett. Why can't you do the same with all of us?" Edward asked helplessly.

"You made up with one of them?" Landon roared at me. I flinched at the fury in his eyes.

"Emmett was always like a brother to me, Landon. Don't take that away from me."

"So is this the reason why?" he spat at me.

"Reason for what?"

"Why you don't want to leave! You lied to us, Bella! You said you didn't care that they were here."

"I don't!"

"Then – "

"Fucking A, Landon! Leave Bella the hell alone!" Ives yelled at him. "She's entitled to do whatever the hell she wants to do. Stop patronizing her."

"You're being a real dick for someone who claims to love her so much!" Patrick hissed with narrowed eyes.

It seemed that the reality of their words were finally sinking into Landon. His breathing slowed and he stared at me. Tears were welled up in my eyes and they were just waiting to pour down my eyes. At that moment, a moment of silence passed between the crowd.

The principal's angry shout broke the silence. "I can't believe you would break out into a fight! You, Mr. Fiore, should know better. And you, Mr. Cullen, why this is only your second day! Detention for the entire month! That's final!"

The other students continued to look at Landon, Edward, and me with such great interest. "All of you!" the principal yelled, "Go back to the cafeteria!"

The rest of the students slowly dispersed, leaving only the rest of us behind.

"I don't know what happened to you," I whispered to Landon, the first tear finally falling from my face. What hurt the most is that he didn't even say anything.

I pushed past him and Edward and ran towards my car. "Bella!" Ives, Patrick, and Mandy called after me. I didn't pay attention to their pleading calls.

Instead, I ran away.

I ran away from the two people who both claimed to love me, but continued to hurt me.

**Trouble in paradise? Eh?**

**Let's recap, yeah? So Bella said no to Landon's proposal. They're currently not speaking. A fight just broke up between Landon and Edward. And Bella just ran away.**

**Lots more of drama coming your way. Be prepared! You have been warned.**

**LOL. I hope you guys are still hanging in there.**

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	16. Family

**Ives and Patrick are just absolutely fantastic in this chapter. I hope you enjoy their interaction with Bella as much as I enjoyed writing their scenes. Enjoy :)**

Chapter 16: Family

**Bella POV**

_I didn't pay attention to their pleading calls._

_Instead, I ran away._

_I ran away from the two people who both claimed to love me, but continued to hurt me._

* * *

><p>I hadn't even bothered to use my car anymore. Instead, I propelled myself into the woods and flew off; tears flowing angrily down my eyes. The cold air whipped against my face, but I couldn't bother to care. My arms curled around me tightly as I tried not to fall apart. I could see the outline of our house through my tear-filled eyes. Somehow, I managed to land safely in our backyard.<p>

As soon as my feet touched the ground, I ran up to my room and through myself onto my bed, crying my heart out. Small screams were escaping my lips. I just couldn't bear the hurt that was squeezing the life out of my heart.

I was so focused on crying and my pain that I didn't hear anyone walking into my room.

"Bella?" her soft voice asked. A sob escaped my lips as I looked up at Rayne. Her eyes were downcast. "Oh, Bella," she murmured, embracing me in a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around her waist and cried into her shirt.

"I don't k-know w-what's going on with h-him?" I sobbed. "He… he's…"

Rubbing my back soothingly, she cooed. "I know, honey. Shhh. Just cry it all out," she whispered. And I did. I cried for how long and Rayne never left my side. Instead, she kept her grip on me and kept rubbing my back.

I didn't know when I stopped crying. I don't think I ever did, but my loud cries soon turned into small whimpers. "It hurts so much, Rayne," I croaked.

"What happened to make him so bitter, anyways?" she asked softly.

Stifling a sob, I sat up a little straighter to talk to her. "He asked me to marry him," I murmured. Her eyes widened in realization.

"And you said no," she stated. I nodded my head regretfully.

"It's not that I don't want to marry him, Rayne. It's just that – "

"You don't see a point in labeling your relationship," she finished for me. I looked thankfully in her eyes, glad that she understood. She let out a small sigh. "I understand, Bella. I really do."

"I don't understand why Landon doesn't understand," I said lowly. She grabbed my hand and patted it gently.

"I had the same issue with Daniel before."

My eyes widened. "He's asked you before?" I asked with shock.

She nodded. "Yeah, but he took my answer a bit better than Landon did."

"I'd say a _whole_ lot better," I grumbled.

"Hey," she cooed softly. "I can kind of see where Landon is coming from. Daniel had no competition. He's the only one and he knew that. There was no one else lingering around. With Landon, it's not just Edward, Bella. It's the entire coven. Landon's insecurities are haywire," she explained.

"I get that. I do, Rayne, but he's reacting so harshly towards _me_. _Me_, Rayne. He's acting like I'm stabbing him in the back with a knife. I don't exactly appreciate being yelled at every single _fucking_ day," I told her.

Her eyes dimmed in sadness. "I know. Landon is being a real dick right now."

"You got that right."

Rayne grabbed my chin and tilted it up, forcing me to look her in the eyes. "But don't you ever forget that he loves you. He loves you with all he has, Bella. Nothing has ever changed that."

"I know," I whispered.

"If you want, I can talk to him… to make him understand," she offered.

I shook my head quickly. "I know you mean well, but he needs to realize his mistakes on his own. If everyone keeps telling him what he's doing wrong, he'll never learn to figure it out himself."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "I'm positive. You know that all it's going to take for me to forgive him is a simple sorry. That's it, Rayne. I'm not going to push him away."

She smiled sadly. "I know. You love him a whole lot too." I smiled back at her.

"I do."

"Will you be okay?" she asked. I nodded.

"Thanks, Rayne. You're amazing," I smiled, giving her a hug.

"Anytime, Bella. Anytime."

"BELLA!"

"Well, there goes out little heart-to-heart moment," she grumbled. I couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped my lips.

"Are you okay?" Ives asked worriedly, pushing Rayne out of the way to hug me.

"Hey! Watch it, fucker!" Rayne was properly ignored as Ives continued to look over me.

Patrick then pushed Ives out of the way to give me a hug. "Landon's a dick, Bella. Don't let him get to you."

"Okay, I have to agree with him on that one," Ives agreed with crossed arms. "You want me to smash his face?"

"Guys," I whined.

"You know you want us to," Patrick said suggestively.

"Oh, leave her alone, will you?" Daniel said, appearing before us.

He lifted me up onto my feet and gave me a huge hug. "I told you to call me if you needed me," he scolded.

I bit my lip. "I know, but everything just happened too fast," I apologized.

"I'm just glad you're okay now," he smiled.

Giving them suspicious looks, I asked, "Did you guys send Rayne in here to get rid of the waterworks so you didn't have to deal with it?"

Their sheepish looks were enough of an answer.

"You know how they are," Rayne smiled at me.

"Besides, you're more fun when you're happy," Ives beamed.

"Idiot!" Daniel and Patrick scolded, punching Ives.

"Ouch!"

I chuckled. For a little while, I was able to forget what I was crying about in the first place. But it didn't take long for the event to come crashing back to me. I sighed and sank back down on the mattress. Concerned eyes scanned over me.

"He left," Daniel stated, answering my unasked question.

"I figured," I muttered.

"Just let him think about what he did. I'm sure it won't take long for him to start groveling," Rayne tried to assure.

"If he doesn't?"

"Then he's an ass and never deserved you in the first place," Ives growled lowly.

"Yeah," Patrick agreed.

"I love you guys," I told them, smiling sadly. They returned my sad smile and embraced me into a group hug.

* * *

><p>I spent the rest of the day lying down on my bed, waiting for Landon to come home. Night soon came and I couldn't help the worry that planted itself in me. I expected him to be here by now. I sat up on my bed and stared out the window, hoping to hear him. <em>Silence<em>. Growing tired of waiting, I got up to start looking for him.

I sighed in relief when I realized that no one else was at home. I vaguely remember Rayne telling me that they went somewhere but I don't quite remember where. However, that wasn't important now.

Spying the woods in front of me, I began to walk towards it. I closed my eyes and let my senses guide the way. I took slow but sure steps. Suddenly, I heard the crack of a branch and I knew that it wasn't me. My eyes snapped open and I caught sight of a moving figure. I walked towards it slowly.

The closer I got the more I realized that it was just Patrick. Taking pictures, he had his head buried in his camera. I couldn't help the small smile that graced my lips despite the worry I was feeling.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hey," he replied without missing a beat.

"What are you doing?"

Peeling away from his camera, Patrick smiled at me. "You know, just embracing nature."

"Dork," I chuckled, playfully bumping into him. "But seriously."

"I'm serious, Bella," he grinned. I rolled my eyes.

"Let me see." I quickly ripped the camera from his grip.

"Hey!"

I laughed and began scanning through his pictures. My eyes widened with awe. _He really __is__ talented_. The colors contrasted beautifully with each other and the angles he took the pictures were amazing.

"You're extremely talented, Pat," I commented. I looked up and saw him blushing.

"Shut up," he muttered but leaned over to look at the pictures with me. I smiled.

The more I scrolled through his pictures, the more they began to change. For a moment, I lost my breath. No longer were the pictures of nature. They were of Landon and me.

"I can't believe you still have these," I breathed out. He gave me a small smile.

"Yeah."

Landon's life and mine began to flash through my eyes as I scrolled through my pictures. The first time we played paintball. The Christmas party. New Year's Eve. Our departure for college. The school food fight. Our various near kisses.

I couldn't help the tears that began to pile up in my eyes.

"Aww, Bella. Don't cry on me now," Patrick begged.

I half-sobbed and half-laughed. "Shut up. These are tears of joy," I whispered.

"Don't give up on him, Bella," Patrick said. "He's being a real asshole right now but it's only because he loves you so much."

"Right," I muttered.

"The moment you stop fighting is the moment you stop caring about each other," he said wisely. This caused me to snap my head towards him and raise an eyebrow. He gave me a small shrug. "I read it somewhere."

I shook my head at him. "We _have_ been fighting a lot more recently."

"About time too. The two of you have had the most peaceful fifty years. If you can't get through this…"

"Then we were never strong enough in the first place," I finished for him.

"Well, I wouldn't put it that way…"

"But it's what you meant," I said, turning to him. He nodded slowly.

"Just hang on, Bella."

"Thanks, Patrick. I feel a little bit better," I said, giving him a small smile.

"Anytime, Bella."

After hugging each other gently, I began looking through the pictures once again. I stopped at one of the very first pictures I remember Patrick taking of Landon and me.

"Hey, Patrick?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happened to the picture you showcased in Fork's Museum? What was it called? _Accidents Happen_?" I asked with a small scowl.

He smirked at me. "Something."

"Patrick!" I whined.

He laughed. "Maybe in the near future, Bella."

At this, he began to walk away from me.

"Party pooper."

"You'll thank me in the future."

* * *

><p>The next day was complete torture. Landon still hadn't made it back home and everyone claimed to not know where he disappeared. I went to school feeling heavy in my heart. I desperately tried to keep myself from sobbing.<p>

"Come on, Bella," Rayne said softly. I nodded slowly and followed her towards the entrance of the school. The day passed by sluggishly. I couldn't bear the loneliness I was feeling.

With more control, Daniel finally came back to school. Every single one of my family members proved to be worthy to lean on. If it weren't for them, I don't even think I would have survived the day.

Fortunately, the damn Cullens had made no approach towards me, which is both surprising and relieving at the same time. I don't think I can handle dealing with them and the loss of Landon at the same time. I'm still incredibly pissed at Edward. If he approaches me at all, I cannot be held responsible for my actions.

It took much longer than I hoped, but lunch finally rolled around, liberating me from the enclosed spaces of the classrooms.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon, Bella," Daniel tried to assure as we sat down on the table. I let out a scoff.

"I highly doubt that," I muttered.

"Have more faith," Rayne murmured.

"Faith?" I shrieked with anger. "Why should I have faith in _him_ when he clearly had no faith in _me_? I'm getting tired of his brooding act, Rayne. When your brother… _if_ your brother shows up," I spat out, "tell him that he can find me himself. I'm tired of fucking waiting for his sorry ass to show up."

I quickly got up from the table and began walking away. None of them even bothered to call after me. All I heard was their collective sigh.

I shoved the cafeteria doors open and stepped out onto the fresh air. With my eyes closed, I heard the rustling of footsteps behind me. I sighed. I knew that one of them was bound to follow me at some point.

When I turned around, I was slightly surprised that it was Ives who had ran after me. "Ives?" I asked warily.

"Hey," he smiled sadly. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Letting out a deep breath, I shook my head. "No, it's fine." He jogged towards me and began to match my pace. We began to wander throughout the school grounds with nothing but silence between us.

I was grateful to Ives at that very moment. He can be extremely annoying sometimes, but he knows when to be serious. It wasn't until a few minutes later that he finally began to talk. I let out a breath, clearly anticipating his inquisition.

"He's being an asshole, Bella. I'm not going to say anything to justify what he's done because I _know_ that what he did is wrong. There are no words I can say or anyone can say to justify what he did," he started.

This caught me off guard. I turned to gaze at him. I expected Ives to give me the same shit everyone else has said to me. _Give him time_, they say,_ he'll come around. I'm sure he just wasn't thinking right._

Slowly, the wisp of a smile made it's way towards me face. "Thanks, Ives. You don't know how much that means to me right now."

"I think I do, Bella," he smiled. "I hear what everyone else is telling you, that it's going to be okay, but they don't consider what would happen if it's _not_ going to be okay. It's not right to give you hope like that only to see you crash later on."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I swear. Who are you and what the hell have you done to Ives? You're too profound for me." He chuckled and playfully bumped into me.

"Shut up. You know I have my moments," he grinned cheekily.

I smiled and kissed his cheek briefly. "Seriously, Ives. This is why I love you so much. You don't crowd me as much as everyone else does."

"Most favorite brother?" he asked hopefully. I laughed the more authentic laugh I've laughed all day.

"Sure," I said with a roll of my eyes. He chuckled.

"But he does love you, Bella. I know that much," he said seriously.

"Yeah. I know that too," I whispered lowly.

"Even when he's being a complete asshole and he acts like he doesn't deserve you, that's the one thing that's never going to change about him. He loves you."

I smiled sadly. "I just wish he'd have more trust in me."

"I guess," Ives shrugged. "But sometimes, I don't even think it has anything to do with his trust in you. It's more about _his_ insecurities, not _your_ faults."

I paused for a moment and thought about what he said. "You really think so?"

He shook his head. "I'm not going to confirm what I said. It's just a thought. Like I said, I don't want to give you false hope."

"What makes you think that though?"

"I mean, for fifty years, you guys were perfect with each other, Bella. You had no fights and you guys were disgustingly gross," he said with a wrinkle of his nose. I grinned. He smiled. "It wasn't until the Cullens showed up that he started acting this way. He never had to fight with his insecurities before."

"Maybe you're right," I concluded.

"And maybe I'm wrong. Don't take my word for it. Besides, who the hell am I to talk about this shit? I've never even been in a relationship before," he joked with a playful grin.

"But hopefully you'll have one with Mandy in the future," I teased, grinning at him.

A hopeful and doubtful look came over him. "Yeah, hopefully."

I jumped with slight surprise when the bell rang. Ives chuckled. "Let's head back?" he asked, offering me his hand.

I bit my lip and shook my head. "I think I'll leave for the rest of the day. I still need time to think things over."

He nodded with understanding. "I hope you feel better."

"I do," I smiled at him, "Thanks, Ives. Really. I mean it."

"I know you do," he smiled softly. We hugged each other tightly before separating ways.

**So... what'cha think?**

**Much more drama coming your way!**

**Please REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! It's what pushes me to write and update more :)**


	17. Yes

**I loved writing this chapter. Hope you enjoy reading it :)**

Chapter 17: Yes

**Bella POV**

"_I do," I smiled at him, "Thanks, Ives. Really. I mean it."_

"_I know you do," he smiled softly. We hugged each other tightly before separating ways._

* * *

><p>I quickly went into one of the bathrooms and hid inside a stall. With my eyes closed, I transported myself to the Edinburgh Plaza. I felt the familiar feeling come over me. Before I knew it, I opened my eyes and found myself in one of the bathrooms in the Plaza. Taking a deep breath, I walked out of the bathroom and into the cold, crisp air.<p>

As soon as I stepped outside, I immediately heard the sound of music playing. Before the Fiores _and_ Landon, I would have hated the sound of music, simply because of Edward. Now, all sorts of music attract me.

Without even realizing it, I began walking towards the origin of the music. As I neared it, the song became more and more familiar. By the time I reached the stage, a woman finished the last line of Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw. I smiled. It's one of my most favorite songs.

I walked towards the edge of the crowd, not wanting to gain any attention. The MC walked onto the stage with a smile on his face. He laughed and hugged the woman.

"Let's give it up for Mitchy Levi!" The crowd erupted into a cheer and clapped for the woman. I found myself clapping for her as well. "Good job, darling," the MC grinned. She smiled back before heading off stage. Staring down into a piece of paper, the MC's grin began to widen.

"Well, well. It seems that we have a newcomer performing for us today," he smiled gleefully. The crowd clapped and wooted. "Please come up, Mr. Landon fa-yo-ray."

At the sound of the name, my ears immediately perked up and I began looking for the owner of the name. Finally, he appeared on stage. He had the smallest hint of irritation playing on his lips. He leaned into the MC's microphone and said in his deep voice, "It's pronounced fee-yo-ree."

The MC chuckled with embarrassment. "Right, right. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Landon said, giving the MC a small smile. A few girls in the crowd sighed dreamily. My eyes glared at them. _He's mine, bitches._

As soon as I thought that, I saw Landon's eyes light up. Just like I did, he began scanning the crowd. Before I knew it, our eyes locked together and I found myself losing my breath.

"What will you be singing for us, Mr. Fee-yo-ree?" the MC joked as he pronounced Landon's name. But Landon didn't answer. Instead, he kept his eyes on me. I could see what he was trying to convey through his eyes. "Mr. Fiore?"

Finally, Landon was brought back to reality and he shook his head, looking back at the MC. "Excuse me, what?" he asked with confusion. Everyone laughed at him.

"What will you be singing for us?"

"My own version of Demi Lovato's Mistake. I'd like to dedicate it to someone," he finally answered.

The MC nodded enthusiastically. "Of course. Who would that special young lady be?"

"She's someone that I just keep hurting over and over again, yet I claim to love her. I want her to know how sorry I am and that I know how big of a mistake I've made." My eyes began to tear up at his dedication.

The crowd erupted into _aww_s.

"How sweet," the MC grinned, obviously excited and enamored. "Let's give it up for Landon Fiore!" I couldn't find myself clapping with the crowd. Instead, I found myself staring at Landon. _God, has it only really been a day since I last saw him?_

With his guitar ready, Landon coughed into the mic and began singing. After a slow instrumental, he brought his head back up to meet my stare.

"_Now that our tempers have lowered, would you mind if we talked this over?_" he sang into the microphone, never taking his gaze off of me. Caught up in the moment, I closed my eyes and nodded at his question.

He continued to sing the song as I kept my eyes closed, listening to his soothing his voice. When the song reached its first chorus, my eyes snapped open as I began to pay close attention to the lyrics of the song.

"_We're about to make the greatest mistake. There's no need for two hearts to break. I know I really blew it this time. Yes, I was wrong... I can make this thing right_."

For the slightest moment, his head bowed down, breaking his eye contact with me. Slowly, his eyes found mine again. His face was contorted into the saddest expression I've ever seen on his face. My heart clenched at him; my eyes shining brightly with tears.

"_I know it's written on my face. Can't believe I made it:_ _my greatest mistake_," he sang, finishing the last lines of the chorus.

I kept my eyes locked onto his as he continued the song. I couldn't help but feel so drawn to his glistening eyes. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that he's trying to refrain from crying.

As much as I loved listening to his voice, I just couldn't wait until the song ended. I needed to talk to him and I needed to talk to him _now_.

Finally, the song ended and the crowd cheered for Landon. The MC climbed the stage with a bright smile on his face. I couldn't bother myself to even listen to what the MC was saying. My mind was set on confronting Landon.

When Landon jumped down from the stage, I turned around and began walking away, knowing full well that he was going to follow me. Just like I suspected, I began hearing his footsteps behind me. Realizing that his footsteps had stopped, I paused mid-step and turned around to look for him.

I shrieked when I felt warm arms wrap themselves around me to carry me off of the ground. The next thing I knew, I was flying through the forest.

"Landon!" I yelled in anger. I looked up and saw that he wasn't even looking at me. He kept his gaze on the forest before him. "You… you jerk!" I began pounding on his chest but he wasn't fazed by it. "Who do you think you are? You can't just carry me like this! I'm fucking pissed at you!"

My anger was simmering hot. He still wasn't replying to me. Suddenly, he flew up and I was faced with a view of a tree house. I looked up questioningly at him. He landed on the patio and carried me through the threshold.

Upon entering the tree house, he finally set me down. I opened my mouth to shout at him, but a sight caught my breath.

Even though the tree house was clearly made out of brown wood from the outside, the interior was made out of white walls. With newspapers under them, cans of opened paint lie in the corner of the tree house. Next to the cans was a pile of paintbrushes of all sizes. My eyes scanned the rather empty room.

Taking a deep breath, I turned around to look at Landon. He had the decency to look down at his shoes.

"What is this?" I asked with a calm voice, but deep down inside, my fury was waiting to be unleashed.

"This is the reason why I was gone. I was working on this tree house," he answered lowly. At that moment, I found that I missed his voice, missed the way he used to talk to me. "It's my studio," he said with pride.

"I'm so pissed at you right now, Landon. I can't fucking think straight."

"Let your anger out," he whispered so lowly I could barely hear him.

"Excuse me?"

"Do it. Be mad at me. Punch me. Push me. I don't care, Bella. I deserve it." For the first time, he finally lifted his eyes to look at me. I could see the sincerity in his eyes.

Just as I was about to do what he asked, my eyes once again spotted the cans of paint. Instead of doing as he asked, I walked towards the pile of paintbrushes.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Bending down to dip a paintbrush in red paint, I smirked at him. "I'm letting my anger out." With a snap of my wrist, the paint went flying into Landon's face. Upon contact, Landon's mouth dropped open. He wiped the offending paint from his eyes to look at me. With a shake of his head, he smiled a small smile.

"Give me your best shot."

I picked up different brushes for different colors. "This is for being such an asshole." Yellow paint. "For being so damn mean to me." Blue paint. "For not believing in me." Green paint. "For picking a fight with Edward even when I told you not to." Red paint again.

Carrying the four cans of paint in one hand, I walked up to him. His eyes were dancing at mirth. I grabbed the paintbrushes and ran them across his body. Painting green on his body, "This is for your unnecessary jealousy." I took the red paint and drew a heart on his shirt. "This is for not believing me when I told I love you."

Having enough of it, I took the four cans of paint and dumped them all on him. He let out a shocked gasp and stared at me. "That was for not coming back to me earlier. Don't you know how much you fucking worried me? Damn you, Landon Fiore! Damn you for making me love you so much!"

At this point, I began pounding on his chest just like he told me to do so earlier. He grabbed my wrists and flushed me to him, effectively transferring the paint onto me. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Bella," he whispered, "I don't know why you still bother with me. I'm not worth it."

Despite his paint-covered self, I still found Landon as beautiful as ever. His close proximity was making my heart beat faster and faster under my chest.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. Slowly, his arms snaked around my waist to hug me back. I whispered, "Because when I wasn't worth it, you chose to stand by me and you love me, just like I love you. That's why."

Pulling back, I stared into his eyes. He stared back at me with love shining in both of our eyes. Chuckling softly, I wiped the offending paint from his lips. His lips curved up into a smile under my thumb. He leaned down and rested his forehead against mine.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I know you do," I said softly. "And I love _you_. You, okay? Not Edward. Not Emmett. Not the fucking Cullens. Get that through your thick head. Please, Landon." He nodded.

I leaned up on my toes and rubbed our noses together. "You do know that you just got paint on yourself, right?" I smiled guiltily. He broke out into a grin and pushed me into the nearest wall. "I miss kissing you," he murmured, as his lips hovered above mine.

"I miss kissing you too," I whispered, closing my eyes. I could feel the heat of his lips against mine. As I waited for his kiss, I was surprised to feel his lips on my cheek. Slowly, he made his way to my eyelids, planting soft kisses on his way up. My eyes fluttered open as soon as he finished kissing both of my eyelids. "You done yet?" I asked breathily.

He lips curled up into a sweet smile. He shook his head. His head dipped in and began nuzzling my neck. With his hands on my waist, I jumped to wrap my legs around his waist. His hands instinctively landed on my butt to support my weight.

He and I chuckled. "Someone's impatient," he grinned.

"It's been days since the last time," I whined, shivering in pleasure as he began sucking on my neck.

I could feel his heavy, warm breath on my neck. "God, I've missed you." His grip tightened on my ass as he pulled me closer, making me well aware of the bulge beneath his jeans. Not able to take anymore, I used my sleeve to wipe of the remaining paint on his lips.

"I don't want to taste paint," I teased, playing with the hair on the nape of his neck. Giving me a mock scowl, he pinned me further into the wall and crashed our lips together.

I could feel the offending, cold paint sticking to my skin, but it didn't bother me. The feel of Landon's lips on mine was consuming all thoughts inside me. I moaned with I felt one of his hands creep its way under my shirt. I felt him draw a heart on my back and I knew instantly that he still had paint on his fingers.

Using my weight, I pushed us off of the wall and we came collapsing on the floor. We chuckled as we rolled over for dominance.

"Nuh uh," I smirked as I pinned him below me, effectively straddling his waist.

His head feel back against the floor and he groaned. "You're killing me here."

"Yeah, well now you know how I felt when you went AWOL on me."

He lifted his head and grinned seductively at me. "Sexually aroused?" he asked hopefully.

I laughed but shook my head. "No, idiot." I leaned over so that my paint-matted hair was grazing Landon's face. "It felt like you were killing me."

"Well, I can see that that's what you're trying to do to me," he groaned, wiggling his hips for any form of friction.

Chuckling in a carefree manner, I got off of his waist and rolled over to lay beside him. Landon wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer as I cuddled to him. I threw a leg and arm across his body to try to receive some of his warmth.

"I'm forgiven?"

I smiled and began to draw random patterns on his chest. "You were forgiven the moment you started singing to me."

"Who said it was meant for you?" he asked teasingly.

Playfully, I smacked his chest. "Oh, shut up." He grinned and pulled me closer to his body. After a few minutes of comfortable silence between us, I made a decision. "Hey, Landon?"

"Yes, honey?" he asked with a heartwarming grin.

"Yes."

"Yes?" he asked; his eyebrows scrunching together in confusion.

I nodded and repeated, "Yes."

He stared at me for a couple more seconds, trying to decipher what I meant in that single word. Finally, realization lit up his features and his lips widened into a huge grin.

"Do you mean what I think you mean?" he asked; the excitement clear in his voice. I laughed and nodded heartily. "Yes!" he shouted into the ceiling. He got up on his feet and pulled me to join him. I squealed as he lifted me off of the floor and twirled me around. "You've made me the happiest person on earth, Bella." I smiled and kissed his lips. "Say it again. Please," he begged; his breath ragged. His eyes danced with happiness and excitement.

"Yes, Landon. I'll marry you."

**Awww :')**

**Cute, eh? Hope you guys enjoy the calm before the storm because the worst is just around the corner. **

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	18. Thing 1 and Thing 2

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Chapter 18: Thing 1 and Thing 2

**Bella POV**

As my eyes fluttered open, I became instantly aware of the warm arm that was wrapped around my waist. A slow smile began to spread on my lips. Turning my head, I saw that Landon had taken the liberty to wrap himself around me during the night. I smiled at his sleeping face. I began to caress his face.

"How'd I get so lucky with you?" I whispered. I gently kissed his nose.

"I think I'm supposed to be asking that question." I jumped slightly, surprised. His eyes opened and his lips curled up. "Good morning, honey," he grinned.

I chuckled. "Good morning to you too."

His arm tightened around me as he nuzzled further into my embrace. "I don't want to go to school today," he mumbled.

Playing with the hair on the nape of his neck, "But _I_ want to."

He groaned. "God, you're such a nerd."

I chuckled. "You love it."

He pulled back and looked into my eyes, smiling. "I love _you._"

I laughed and untangled myself from him. "You're so cheesy."

He pulled me back onto the bed quickly before I could even get away. I squealed. "Don't leave. I'm not done yet."

I raised him an eyebrow. "Not done with what?"

"Holding you," he answered earnestly. I smiled. "I haven't held you like this in a long time."

"Fine," I finally relented. I could feel the grin on his lips as he began placing soft kisses on my collarbone. I bit my lip, desperately trying not to give him a reason to keep me in bed. "But we're getting ready in ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" he whined, making his way up my neck. "That's not enough time," he breathed against my skin. My body involuntary shivered, responding delicately to Landon's ministrations.

"Landon," I warned. He groaned.

"Fine, fine. Geez," he muttered, but I could sense the playful tone in his voice.

"You might get lucky later."

His eyes lit up at my statement. "Alright. Ten minutes it is."

I chuckled.

**##########**

"Well, the two of you sure seem to have made up," Rayne quickly observed as Landon and I emerged from the stairs. She was grinning widely, wiggling her eyebrows at us. I blushed.

"Shut up," I mumbled, subtly hiding my hands behind my back.

"Yeah," Ives agreed as he appeared eating an apple. "No more fights."

I looked at Landon who gave me a smile. "Well, we can't guarantee anything, but we're good now."

"Thank God," Patrick praised with a smirk. "I was getting tired of all the waterworks." I grabbed the nearest sofa pillow and chucked it at his head. "Hey!"

I smirked. "I was getting tired of your asshole attitude."

Daniel chuckled, appearing with the rest of the family. "I'm glad you guys are okay."

Adrien smiled and agreed. "Yeah, I couldn't handle you guys _not_ being okay."

"We talked it out," Landon said. He and his dad shared a long look. I assumed they were mentally speaking to each other. Finally, their lips both curled into small smiles.

"Yay! No more fighting!" Marc cheered happily.

I turned to look at Rhia and saw that she had a frown on her face. "Why the frowny face, Rhia?" I asked.

She shook her head. "What?" she answered, as if not hearing me.

"Yeah, aren't you happy?" Cassandra asked, wrapping an arm around Rhia's shoulders.

"I am," she said, forcing a smile.

I shared a look with her. _What is this about, Rhia?_

_It's nothing, Bella. You're worrying about nothing._

_I don't buy it_.

"God, Bella. I said I was fine. I'm happy for you guys. Really," she spat, turning her heel and walking away.

Marc sighed. "I got it," he said dejectedly before following Rhia.

"What's her problem?" Rayne muttered.

"Anyways…" Landon digressed, "We have some news for you guys."

"News?" Cassandra asked excitedly. She looked at Adrien and then squealed. "Yes! I knew it!"

Landon chuckled and mock glared at Adrien. "Geez, Dad. You seriously couldn't wait for me to give the news, huh?"

Adrien grinned. "Nope."

"Wait, what is this about?" Ives asked, confused.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Patrick added with Daniel and Rayne looking equally confused.

I gazed at Landon and nodded my head. He intertwined his right hand and my left hand and we raised our conjoined hands together; my ring shining brightly under the light. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the onslaught of shrieks.

"Eep!"

"Finally!"

"Seriously?"

"Oh. My. God."

"I'm proud of you, Landon."

"Oh. My. God."

"Jesus, Landon. About damn time you asked her!"

"Oh. My. God."

"I can't wait to plan your wedding. I'm so excited!"

"Oh. My. God. I can't believe you'd do this to me, Bella! I thought we had something special!"

I finally opened my eyes and chuckled. "Geez, Ives. I thought you'd be a bit more supportive."

He grinned and gave me a huge hug, effectively pushing Landon off to the side.

"Hey, watch yourself," Landon warned, but I could hear the smile in his voice.

"You're going to be a beautiful bride," Ives smiled.

"Thank you, Ives," I said heartily.

Patrick pushed Ives aside and gave me a hug as well. "I told you things would work out for the better," he said. I smiled.

"Thank you too, Patrick," I said, meaning every word.

Finally, it was Cassandra and Rayne's turn to bombard me with a group hug.

"I'm so glad to officially call you my daughter-in-law," Cassandra exclaimed.

I chuckled. "It's not official yet. Let's get through the wedding first."

"Same thing," she laughed.

"You're going to be my official sister too! Eep! This is so exciting!" Rayne clapped happily.

Adrien and Daniel appeared behind them with smiles.

"I'm so happy for you both," Adrien said, looking at Landon and me. "You guys deserve it."

Daniel nodded. "After fifty years, it's about time you tied the knot."

"Thanks, bro," Landon smiled, sharing a hug with Daniel.

"Do you guys have a date yet?" Rayne asked.

I subtly slinked over to Landon and wrapped my arm around his waist. I looked up at him questioningly. "We actually haven't decided yet," I admitted.

"Well, we're going to have to change that aren't we?" Cassandra grinned. I chuckled.

"I guess we do." I smiled. "But we'll have to discuss it after school," I said, earning multiple groans.

"God, I knew it! I knew she was going to make us go to school," Ives whined.

"Oh, hush, you little baby," I grinned.

Adrien laughed. "Bella's right. I'm glad that she's here to make sure you go to school."

"God knows how bad Adrien and I are at it," Cassandra joked.

Rayne groaned. "Fine, fine. Let's go then."

"Who's got the kids?" Patrick asked.

"Rayne and Daniel," Landon said, smirking.

"You guys suck!" Rayne shouted as she went after the kids. Daniel chuckled.

"We'll see you guys there," he told us.

**##########**

"Aren't you going to take the ring off?" Ives asked as we all gathered together at school.

"Why should I?" I asked. "I want people to know."

Landon grinned and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me to him. "I want them to know too."

"But won't it be too much of a controversy?" Patrick asked. "After all, as far as they know you guys are only eighteen."

Both Landon and I shrugged. "Who cares? As long as we know the truth we'll be fine."

"Bella's right," Rayne added as Daniel and she approached us. "Let them think what they want."

Daniel nodded. "Besides, it's not like we'll be sticking around here long after we graduate."

I smiled at them. "See?"

Ives and Patrick finally relented.

The bell rang and we all separated to go to our respective classes.

Daniel, Landon, and I went to our first class, Physics. I suddenly regretted skipping school today. I most definitely didn't have the patience to face Rosalie and Jasper together.

Noticing my discomfort, Daniel smirked. "You regretting it now?"

"I completely forgot about the Cullens," I groaned.

Landon's eyes suddenly hardened. "If they even try to come near you…"

"Hey," I soothed, rubbing his arm. "Don't worry about it. I'm officially yours now, aren't I?" I asked with a smile, showing him my ring.

He sighed but smiled. "You're right."

"Oh. My. God. Is she wearing what I think she is?"

"I totally knew it! There's so way they could be living together and not having sex."

"She probably got knocked up. Why else would they get married?"

I could hear the whispers circulating around us. My fingers clenched around Landon's. He looked down at me.

Landon tried to calm me down._ Don't be bothered by it._

_Yeah, Bella. They don't know what they're talking about._ Daniel's eyes smoldered as he shook his head.

_I just don't like how they're playing me off as a dirty whore._

"Haha! I knew it! You owe me a hundred bucks!" someone exclaimed. I immediately distinguished the voice as Mandy's.

"This isn't fair."

"I told you he was going to ask her within this year. There's just no way that they're not going to get married as soon as possible. Have you seen them? They're completely in love," Mandy ranted.

I couldn't help the smile that made its way onto my way.

_If there's one girl I know who won't turn her back on me, it's Mandy, _I said to the boys.

They nodded, agreeing with me.

_I hope Ives manages to get together with her. She'd fit well with the family,_ Landon added.

_Yeah. She's perfect for him,_ Daniel agreed.

"Just yesterday they were fighting," the other girl grumbled.

Mandy scoffed. "Do you not see couples having fights? It's totally natural."

"Whatever, Mandy. I'll see you later."

"Hey! Don't forget my money!"

"Geez! I won't!"

I chuckled. "Who would've thought that Mandy is such a hustler?" I asked as we entered the classroom.

Luckily, Mr. Finn had permanently placed Landon next to Daniel and me after the whole fiasco on Monday.

"I told you. She's perfect for Ives," Daniel chuckled.

Leaning against Landon, I smiled. "Definitely."

Landon intertwined his fingers with mine. "God, I'm still trying to figure out whether I'm just dreaming or if this is really happening."

Daniel groaned. "Here we go again with the mushy stuff. I almost wish you guys were still fighting."

Landon and I glared at him.

"What?" he asked innocently with a smile. "Too soon?"

I just shook my head. "Let's not go back to that. Okay?" Daniel nodded.

_They're coming in,_ Landon warned as the Hales walked into the classroom.

As they walked in, I immediately saw their ears perk up. I cursed silently under my breath. Whispers about my marriage with Landon were being passed around the room.

_Better to let them know early, I guess,_ I said to the boys.

_Damn right,_ Landon said. _You're mine and it's about time they realize that._

Jasper and Rosalie's eyes snapped to mine almost immediately. I returned their stare with a raised eyebrow, challenging them to say anything. Soon enough, their eyes flickered towards my ring. I saw the glint of my ring shine in their eyes. I couldn't help but smirk.

"Impressed?" I asked in a low voice, knowing they could hear me.

Their eyes met and they just shook their heads. I snickered.

"At least they know not to get involved," Daniel grumbled.

"Edward's going to flip his shit," I heard Rosalie say to Jasper.

I looked up and met Landon's eyes.

_Let him flip his shit,_ Landon thought to me.

I intertwined our fingers together and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek. _I love you._

He smiled down at me.

"Geez, guys. Cut it out, will you?" Daniel groaned.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "You're just jealous because you can't spend time with Rayne."

"Don't rub it in," he muttered. "It's all Landon's fault anyways."

"How is it my fault?" Landon asked, appalled.

"Rayne can't be in the same grade as us because she _has_ to be a year below you. Otherwise, people would get suspicious," Daniel said.

"Rayne can play off that she skipped a grade you know," Landon pointed out.

I decided it was time to interject. "We keep Rayne a year below us because _someone_ has to make sure that Ives and Patrick don't do anything stupid or try to kill each other."

The boys grunted and complained about how I was always right.

I chuckled. "I don't know why you guys try to bother," I teased, poking them both in their stomachs. They both flinched away dramatically from me. I couldn't help it. I started cracking up. "The looks… your faces…" I managed to get out through my laughter. Quickly, I saw Landon and Daniel make eye contact. My eyes widened. "Guys… no!"

They began to tickle me mercilessly until the bell rang for class. I was breathing heavily. My face most likely flushed red. "You guys suck!" I pouted.

They grinned. "You deserved it."

I paused for a moment and looked around the room. I saw that we had everyone's attention.

"Don't you guys have something better to do?" Landon snapped at them.

They jumped in their seats and were quick to divert their attentions onto something else. However, Jasper and Rosalie kept their eyes trained on us.

_What do you think they're thinking?_ Daniel mentally asked Landon and me.

I shrugged. _Beats me. I could care less, _I said with indifference.

_What they think about us doesn't matter anyways,_ Landon pointed out.

Daniel and I nodded, figuring he was right.

* * *

><p>Our next class, AP English Literature, passed by without a hitch. Luckily, that was one of the classes in which we didn't have a Cullen to deal with.<p>

However, when it came time to separate for third period, Landon refused to let me go because he knew that Emmett would be present.

"I thought we already went over this, Landon," I warned him.

He sighed. "I know. It's just… this is going to take some time to get used to."

I looked at Daniel. He nodded at me.

"Don't worry, Landon. I'll be with her the entire time," Daniel assured.

Landon's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine, I guess that makes me feel better. See you next period."

He began walking away. "Wait a second, yeah?" I told Daniel.

He nodded with a chuckle. "Go after him, Bella."

I grinned. "Landon!" I called. "One more thing."

He turned around slowly. "Yeah?"

I jogged over to him and grabbed his face. With a smile, I teased, "I think you forgot something." I crashed our lips together and made sure to make it worth his while. His arms automatically wrapped around my waist.

We pulled away, breathing heavily. He leaned his forehead against mine, and even though I had my eyes closed, I could sense his smile. "What was that for?" he asked, still slightly out of breath.

I leaned in to give him another kiss. "Thank you for giving me this, Landon. I know it's hard to accept that I'm letting one of _them_ come back into my life, but you're doing it _for me_. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it."

He smiled. "You know I'd do anything for you, even if it means associating with that bloodsucker."

I chuckled. "Good enough. Now run along. I don't wanna keep you from class."

As he walked away, I threw him a kiss. He pretended to catch the flying kiss and put it on his lips. My stomach felt tingly. He threw me a kiss with I also caught. However, instead of put it to my lips, I placed it where my heart should be. He grinned brightly.

_See you later, honey. Love ya!_

_I love you too!_

"Wow, you guys sure aren't afraid of PDA," Daniel commented as he appeared beside me.

I grinned. I was so happy I felt like I could die.

"What's to hide? Everyone already knows that we're getting married."

Daniel just shook his head, chuckling at me.

As we entered our Calculus class, I could tell that Daniel immediately stiffened, feeling a vampire's presence in the room. I grabbed his forearm and rubbed it soothingly.

"It's fine, Daniel," I assured him.

He shook his head. "I know. It's just going to take some time to get used to being around them."

I nodded, completely understanding him.

As we made our way to our seats, I felt Emmett's stare. As soon as Daniel and I got seated, I turned to Emmett with a smile and waved, He grinned and waved back.

_Are you really forgiving that bloodsucker?_ Daniel asked me.

I shrugged. _I told him that I haven't forgiven him yet, but I told him I'd make an effort to get to know him again. I know I don't owe him anything, but he was always there for me back then, more so than Alice ever was._

_What do you mean?_ _I thought Alice was your best friend then._

I sighed and spared Emmett a glance. _Now that I look back on it, Emmett was more of a best friend to me than Alice was. Alice is impatient, you see. Because I was a human, I couldn't keep up with her and she seemed to always find a way to point out my flaws._

Looking down, I saw that Daniel's hands were clenching into fists. _What kind of flaws, Bella?_ He demanded.

I bit my lip, worried. _Like, she would tell me that I didn't take care of my hair and that it looks like a "rat's nest." I didn't have the greatest sense of fashion and she'd always make fun of me for it. Just… I don't know, Daniel. But Emmett, he loved me as a human. In fact, I amused him and he was always quick to defend me whenever Alice or Edward went out of line. That's why I adored him so much. He was the only one who ever defended me against them. That's why I'm willing to give him a chance. He defended me against his family once and I'd like to do that same to him._

Daniel visibly relaxed. He looked at me and stared into my eyes, sighing. _When you put it into that perspective, he doesn't seem so bad anymore._

I smiled softly. _Thanks for understanding. Do you mind?_ I asked, gesturing towards Emmett.

He shook his head. "Go ahead. I'd like to meet him."

"Daniel," I warned.

He chuckled and held up his hands in defense. "What? I'm not gonna do anything stupid. Besides, it's not like I have any of Adrien's vases to throw at him."

I laughed. "Okay, okay."

Luckily, the teacher was late to class today, so I held up my hand and called Emmett to us. His eyes widened and he beamed. He immediately stood up and took a seat next to me.

"So I heard you're getting married. I'm so excited for you! It's about time you got hitched. I was worrying that my little human was going to grow old and alone," Emmett ranted, obviously not capable of hiding his excitement.

Surprisingly, he got a good small chuckle out of Daniel. I couldn't help the smile that reached my lips.

"Emmett, I'd like you to meet Daniel," I said, introducing them both.

"Umm… nice to meet you," Emmett greeted, but I could sense the nervousness in his voice.

"Afraid of me?" Daniel asked in an intimidating way.

"Umm…"

I slapped Daniel on the arm. "Don't worry about him, Emmett. He's just playing with you. Right, Daniel?"

He laughed and nodded. "I'm just kidding," he offered. He held out his hand and gave Emmett a small smile.

_This is about the best you're going to get out of me,_ Daniel said.

_Good enough_.

"It's nice to meet you under better circumstances," Emmett said nervously.

Daniel waved off his concern. "Whatever. Let's forget about it, alright? Besides whoever Bella thinks is worthy must be worthy enough."

Emmett smiled happily. "Great!" he exclaimed. "This is so awesome. I can't wait to rub it in Alice and Edward's faces. Those two are going to pissed off as hell!"

Daniel grinned. "Whoever wants to piss of Carrothead is good in my book. Maybe you're the one bloodsucker that I can actually stand."

Emmett looked at us in confusion. "What do you mean? Aren't you guys 'bloodsuckers' too?" he asked.

Daniel's eyes met mine quickly. _Shit_.

"I mean, umm… Bella?" Daniel looked at me with pleading eyes.

"What Daniel means is that you're the one Cullen vampire that he can actually stand," I explained.

Emmett nodded. "Oh, okay."

_Geez, he's gullible._

I glared at Daniel. _Shut up. Be thankful that he __is__ gullible. Otherwise, our entire cover would be blown by now!_

_Right, sorry,_ he apologized.

"So has anyone else heard about my marriage?" I asked Emmett.

"Are you kidding, Bella? Practically the entire school knows. I heard that the principal even called your parents to confirm the rumors. I mean, obviously, I know that it's not a rumor."

"Wow, they called Adrien and Cassandra? Things must be serious," Daniel commented.

"I'm assuming _your_ family has heard about it."

Emmett nodded at me. "I'm probably the only one who's happy for you. Jasper and Rosalie are just worried about what Alice and Edward might do."

"Why?" Daniel asked forcefully.

Emmett took an unnecessary gulp. "See, Alice and Edward have the stupid idea in their head that you're going to come to your senses and be a part of the family again."

"That's _never_ going to happen," I hissed edgily.

"Don't worry, Bella. I know that," Emmett assured.

"But it seems that Thing 1 and Thing 2 don't get the hint!" I whisper-yelled.

"If it counts for anything, I've been trying to get them off your back," Emmett said.

I gave him a small smile. "Thanks for the effort, but I think it's going to take much more than that to get them to back off."

"What do you have in mind?" Daniel asked.

"Hell if I know. I'll think of something."

Emmett opened his mouth to speak but the teacher finally decided to make an appearance. Instead, he grudgingly walked back to his seat.

"See you guys later," he said.

"Bye," Daniel and I replied.

"It seems as though we have our work cut out for us," I told Daniel.

He offered me a smile. "When have we ever not overcome anything? Besides, I think you're forgetting that we have the almighty Ives on our side."

I chuckled, rather evilly might I add.

"Of course, how could I forget?"

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	19. Well, Shit

**Well, hope you guys like this chapter. That's all I have to say :)**

**Shit's about to get real.**

Chapter 19: Well, Shit

**Bella POV**

Daniel and I continued into our next class and reunited with Landon. Nothing exciting really happened because we don't have a Cullen in that class. However, I did tell Landon about my conversation with Emmett and Daniel told him that Emmett wasn't that bad. I could tell that Landon still wasn't sold on the whole Emmett thing but he'll eventually get there.

Lunch finally rolled around and we met up with the rest of the family.

"About time you guys got here," Ives said, rolling his eyes. I backhanded his head immediately. "What the hell was that for?" he asked in a thick British accent.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What's with the thick British accent? Sure, you have a British accent but it's not naturally that thick."

Patrick chuckled. "He read in a magazine that British accents attract girls."

"So basically Mandy?"

"Yup," Patrick grinned.

Ives glared at him "Shut up, leprechaun. For your information, I'm just trying to embrace my British culture."

Landon chuckled and plopped himself on a chair. "Sure, Ives. We believe you."

Just when I was about to ask where Rayne was, I saw her attaching her lips onto Daniel's. I chuckled and shook my head.

"Geez, I need to get a girlfriend," Patrick complained, "All this PDA is getting to me."

"Don't worry, kid," Landon teased. "You'll get one soon."

Ives snickered. "Yeah, when the world ends."

Patrick cussed at him and punched him on the shoulder. "You're one to talk. Last time I checked, you're nowhere close to getting a girlfriend either."

"I'm getting there, fool. I'm getting there."

"Right, Ives. I wouldn't date you even if you were the last guy on earth," Mandy said, scoffing, as she took a seat next to me.

Patrick cracked up. "Ha!" he exclaimed, pointing a mocking finger towards Ives. Ives gave him a nasty look but kept quiet.

I chuckled when Mandy teased him. "Why so quiet, Ives? Cat got your tongue?"

Instead of giving her a glare, Ives gave her the sweetest, most innocent smile I've ever seen on his face. With his thick British accent, he said, "No, I'm just admiring the sound of your voice."

Mandy, not used to Ives' sweet compliment, just stared at him, out of words.

_I don't know if the British accent actually worked, or she's just trying to think of a way to hurt him,_ Patrick thought to us.

I tried stifling a laugh that threatened to escape me.

I looked over at Mandy and saw that her pinks had the faintest tinge of pink in them. If I recall, Mandy did once tell me that she wished she could snag a British boy with the accent, good manners, and everything. I joked and offered Ives to her but she was quick to wave off the idea. Now, I think she's having second thoughts.

_You could always have offered me to her, but I'm taken,_ Landon joked, giving me a playful grin.

I chuckled and hugged his arm. _I would never offer you to anyone. You're mine and mine only._

_Damn right I am._

"Mandy?" Ives asked, not letting up on the accent.

She shook her head. "Right, sorry. Umm… I think I'm going to go… uhh somewhere." She quickly stood up and said her goodbye. All the while, I watched her back as she walked away. She kept shaking her head and muttering things that I couldn't quite understand.

We all turned our heads towards Ives and stared at him. "What?" he asked with a shrug. "I told you the British accent works."

"Maybe I should develop a British accent too," Patrick said in awe.

I smiled at his cuteness. "If I were you, I'd develop your Irish accent. An Irish accent is much more appealing than a British one. It's more rare to find a good looking Irish guy," I told him, wiggling my eyebrows.

"You think I'm good looking?"

"You think he's good looking?" Ives and Landon asked me with shock in their voices.

I rolled my eyes. "I may be your fiancé, Landon, but I've got eyes. If you didn't appeal to me first or if Patrick was older, I totally would have taken him instead."

"What?!" Ives shrieked. "I thought you thought I was a sexy beast!"

I smirked. "Your shirt thought that, Ives. I said no such thing."

"Well, this is all new information to me! You never told me that you thought Patrick was good looking!" Landon exclaimed.

I chuckled.

Daniel and Rayne finally stopped smooching to pay attention to our petty fight.

"You think I'm good looking?" Patrick asked again.

"Yes, Patrick, as if I haven't made it obvious enough already," I joked.

"Bella has a point," Rayne agreed.

"What?" Daniel demanded from her, "Say it ain't so."

She rolled her eyes. "Like Bella said, I've got eyes too. Seriously, Patrick has a pretty hot Irish accent. If he'd just stop trying to hide it just because Ives makes fun of him, I'm sure he'd have girls lining up for him."

I nodded. "Finally, someone who understands." She grinned at me. "And Patrick has a great personality. Shit, if he was my type, I would have tapped that ass," I teased.

"WHAT?!" Ives and Landon shouted.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Landon groaned.

"This is so not fair! I am so much hotter than Patrick will ever be," Ives whined.

Patrick, on the other hand, just crossed his arms and smirked smugly at the two of them. I chuckled.

"You know, Ives," Rayne added, "Sometimes cuteness trumps hotness and let me tell you, Patrick is just oozing with cute. If he was my type, I would've totally gone after him too."

"Not you too!" Daniel cried dramatically.

Rayne and I smirked at each other, giving each other a high five.

"Gee, thanks guys. You have no idea how much that boosted my ego," Patrick grinned at us.

"Just don't be too egotistical, alright?" He nodded.

Chuckling to himself, he looked at us with disbelief still on his face. "I still can't believe you guys would have dated me if I was your type."

"You know it," Rayne grinned.

Landon possessively grabbed my waist and pulled me to his side. "Yeah, well, you can't have her! She's mine, you hear. Mine. Mine. Mine!"

Daniel was quick to do the same for Rayne.

I laughed, burying my head on his shoulder. It seemed as though both Rayne and Patrick were cracking up as well.

"Calm down, Landon. You'll always be my type. Don't worry about that," I chuckled, hugging him back.

"I see how this is going to be," Ives said, pouting. "So not fair!"

We were such in a good place at that moment, laughing, smiling, and joking around. However, that moment was instantly ruined when the cafeteria doors opened loudly, revealing an angry Cullen.

All five of us turned to stare at each other.

Rayne groaned. _Great, what the hell is up his ass now?_

_It's probably about their marriage,_ Ives said.

We rolled our eyes at him. _No shit, Ives._

_What? You asked!_

"Edward! The fuck man! Leave it alone!" I immediately distinguished the voice as Emmett's.

Landon was quick to stand up, but I grabbed his arm and forced him down. "Let me handle this, okay?" He took a deep breath but nodded.

_Great,_ I moaned to myself. We already gathered the entire attention of the cafeteria. After Landon and Edward's fight, I'm sure they've been itching for more.

I stood impatiently and crossed my arms as I waited for him to arrive. He had the darkest expression on his face. His eyebrows were furrowed with a slightly parted mouth. I could see his clenched fists swinging with his every step. Alice was following closely behind him. Unlike Emmett, she wasn't trying to do anything to make Edward stop his advance toward me.

"Typical," I muttered to myself.

_You sure you can handle this, Bella?_ Daniel asked.

_Yeah, I got it. It's about time I put him in his place._

_If he lays a hand on you…_ Landon hissed.

_I'll be the first to kick his ass._

"I can't believe you're marrying this… this…"

"This what, Edward?" I spat angrily at him. "This," I started, pointing towards Landon, "Is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. So you don't get to go around making accusations!"

"He's hardly worth anything you say he is. Look at him! He's not even a proper gentleman. He doesn't dress like one or talk like one. You shouldn't marry someone who doesn't appreciate you!"

_This motherfucker!_

_Sit the fuck down, Landon. Let me take care of this._

I bit my lip angrily and began shaking my head. Noticing that we already had everyone's attention, I decided to take advantage of it. I stepped on a chair and stood up on our table. Emmett glanced up curiously at me.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" I asked from the cafeteria as if I didn't already have it. "Do you see this asshole right here?" I asked gesturing towards Edward. They nodded at me. It seemed as though Edward's anger was doubling because I was calling him out, letting everyone know about his trashy attitude. "Do you agree with anything he says?"

"No, Bella!" someone called out. I couldn't help the smirk that made its way to my lips.

"You guys have known my family for a little bit over a year now. You guys know that Landon is far from his accusations. Am I correct?" I asked them. There was a unanimous agreement throughout the crowd.

"He can be an ass!"

"But you guys are perfect for each other!" Mandy called out.

"Like seriously!" another girl agreed. "Shit, if you didn't snag him up first, I totally would have."

"He's so dreamy! Way hotter than that other dude!"

Looking back at Edward, I smirked. _Wow, I sure pissed him off._ "I think I've made my point, _Edward_," I spat, saying his name bitterly. "These people, they don't even know your name. But Landon? Everyone knows him. They know him enough to know that he may not be a gentleman to most people, but he's a gentleman to _me._ He's amazing and loving and everything I could ever want in a guy. He's everything that _you_ will never be. It's about time you realize that!"

"Yeah, Edward. Give it up, man," Emmett added.

Edward snapped his head towards him and growled. "Shut up, Emmett."

Angrily, I snapped, "Don't tell him to shut up. If anyone should shut up and shut up forever, it should be you. This is why I forgave Emmett. He understands. Unlike _some _people," I said, blatantly staring at Alice.

"You're going to regret this for the rest of your life, Bella," Edward growled at me.

I smirked. "Is that a threat? Because if it is, let me just tell you now, I don't do well with threats. You just might be the one to eat your words and regret it."

My family decided to make an appearance.

"Ouch."

"Burn."

"Suck a dick, bitch!"

I rolled my eyes. _Geez, Ives. Is that necessary?_

_Hell yes._

"I think we're done here," I said with finality, jumping down from the table. The rest of the family followed me and started to make their way out of the cafeteria.

However, before I could take a few steps, Edward grabbed my arm and pulled me back. _I've had enough of this shit._ I turned around suddenly and socked him in the face. The sound of a nose breaking echoed throughout the cafeteria. I felt satisfaction rise in me as I felt his nose break beneath my fist.

"Don't you _ever_ touch me again," I hissed.

I walked out quickly and joined the rest. I took one look at Landon and knew that he was itching to beat the hell out of Edward, but he stayed put because he knew I could handle myself. Angrily, I stalked out of the school building and lead the rest of the family into a secluded area of the Quad that was surrounded by trees.

"I can't believe that asshole!" I shouted, pacing back and forth.

I could feel myself losing control. I could sense the tell tale of my wings sprouting from their confined position.

"Bella," Rayne squeaked.

"What?" I growled.

Landon would have tried calming me down but he seemed to also have an issue trying to control himself.

"Your eyes are turning red, Bella," Patrick warned.

"Don't do this here. Someone could see," Daniel added.

Clenching my hands into fists, I hissed. "I can't. I'm just so fucking pissed off!"

"Just let go then. Do it. The sooner you let go the quicker you'll be able to calm down."

I took Ives' advice and let go. Just like that. My wings spread before me, leaving me breathless. Landon was quick to do the same. We took a long look at each other, breathing heavily.

"AHHHH!" a scream knocked us out of our reverie. I snapped my head towards the noise, only to see a wide-eyed Mandy. "You… you guys are – " Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted. Ives quickly teleported to where she was, catching her before she could hit her head.

We all looked at each other, panic lacing across our faces.

"Well, shit."

Ives carried her bridal style and gazed at us with a panicked face. "What are we going to do?"

"Umm… uh…" I took a deep breath, worried for the family. I looked up at Landon, hoping for some sort of plan.

"Well, first off, we have to make sure she's okay," Rayne said.

"I guess she'll have to know the secret," Landon sighed.

Everyone's eyes snapped towards him.

"We can't do that!" Patrick argued. "We don't know if she'll even keep the secret."

"We'll just have to hope for the best, I guess," Daniel said.

I nodded, understanding Landon's plan. "Mandy is way too observant and smart for her own good. If we lie to her, she'll just get more and more suspicious."

Rayne nodded. "It's better this way. Let's just hope that she's really as close of a friend as we think she is."

While we were discussing, I saw that a small smile was beginning to spread on Ives' lips. I rolled my eyes. He _would_ be smiling during a dire situation.

"What the hell are you smiling for?" Landon snapped at him, beating me to the question.

He grinned. "Well, I finally get to show Mandy the real me, the real _us_. I always planned for her to figure out at some point. It's just convenient that I didn't even have to do it. You two did it for me," he said, smirking.

"What do you mean you were going to tell her at some point anyways?" Rayne hissed, crossing her arms angrily.

He chuckled nervously. "I mean… umm… Shouldn't we be taking her to the nurse or something?" he asked, changing the subject instantly.

Patrick snickered. "We thought so."

"Come on. Let's go," I announced, rolling my eyes.

We brought Mandy to the nurse immediately.

I shared a look with Landon. _You think she'll be okay?_ I asked him.

He shrugged. _Who knows? I mean, you took it pretty badly at first, but you eventually warmed up to it. Maybe she'll be the same._

_But I'm different. I'm used to being around freaky things._

He gave me a small smile. _You sure are_.

He scooted over and put his arm around me. "Let's just wait for her to wake up and see what happens." I sighed but nodded.

As soon as we stepped into the Clinic, the nurse was immediately by our side. "Oh my! What happened?" she asked Ives, considering he was the one carrying her.

"My family and I had a fight with the new kids," Daniel started explained.

We all shouted at him in our minds. _What are you doing?_!

_I'm telling her the truth. Well, kind of._

"And?" the nurse asked while she got set on making Mandy comfortable on one of the steel single beds.

"We all got so pissed off that we left the cafeteria and went to the Quad to cool off. I guess Mandy followed us without us knowing. The only reason we even realized that she was there was because she screamed out 'spider.' Mandy is deathly scared of spiders. I guess she fainted because of it," Daniel further explained.

We all let out a breath of relief.

The nurse nodded and bought his story. "Okay, well, I'm going to need you six to head back to your classes. I'll take care of Mandy."

"No!" Ives shouted.

"Excuse me?" the nurse asked, appalled.

"Umm… I mean, we can't leave her. She's our friend. Please understand," Ives begged.

The nurse sighed and glanced at us. "Fine, just don't touch anything, okay?" We nodded.

The six of us sat on the chairs that were aligned against the wall as we watched the nurse worked on Mandy. We all simultaneously let out a sigh.

_Hey, Bella?_

_Yeah, Patrick?_

_Since Mandy's going to know all about us being Phoenixes, there's no way we can hide the truth from the bloodsuckers. We might be able to block Carrothead from invading our heads, but Mandy can't._

I let out a groan and shrunk into my seat. Landon quickly grabbed my hand.

_Maybe it's time they found out_, Rayne offered.

_What are you thinking, Bella? _Landon asked with concern.

I sighed. _Seriously, I'm past the point of caring. Let them find out. I could care less right now._

Daniel gave a slight cheer. _Finally! Shit, I'm tired of pretending to be something I hate._

Patrick nodded. _You got that right. _

_Eh, whatever. I'm just really glad that Mandy is going to find out about us._

_IVES!_

He chuckled. _Calm your tits. It's about time we stop pretending to be something we're not. _

_I guess we're all in agreement then? _Rayne asked. We all nodded.

I glanced over at Mandy and saw that the nurse had just finished with her. I looked at the clock, noticing that thirty minutes had already passed. Wow, we were talking for a long time.

"Alright, well, Mandy should wake up any time soon," the nurse announced.

"Thanks," we said gratefully.

The nurse, herself, looked at the clock and groaned. "Alright, well, I've got to go somewhere. Can I trust the six of you to make sure Mandy wakes up okay?"

We nodded quickly.

She looked unconvinced but she relented. "Okay, just make sure you guys lock the door on your way out." She grabbed her back and headed towards the door, not before giving us a look that said 'I still don't trust you.'

As soon as the nurse left, we immediately went over to Mandy's side, crowding the steel bed she was currently on.

"I think we might have killed her."

"Shut up, stupid. The nurse said she should wake up any time soon."

"You know, she's going to be the second Outsider to find out, other than Bella of course."

"Gee, thanks. Way to make me feel special."

"You are special, honey."

"God, Landon. Shut up."

"Make me."

"You seriously want to go there?"

"No. I'll shut up."

"Can you guys focus?! We have to think about how we're going to explain all this shit to Mandy."

"What's there to plan? All we have to say is 'Hey, Mandy. Did you know? We're actually birds!'"

"I don't think that's going to go smoothly with her, Ives."

"Well, you took it well enough."

"That's different. I already knew about vampires and shit. She doesn't."

"What the fuck?! Vampires?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Mandy shrieked.

**Well, umm, yeah :)**

**Things just got a whole lot more complicated.**

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	20. The Next Landon and Bella

**ANNOUNCEMENT: Any update with this story is most likely going to be on a _Saturday or Sunday_. Why, you ask? Well, darlings, I just finished my first week of school and after sitting through my classes, I realized that I'm pretty much going to be busy with assignments. I am going to be a JUNIOR after all. I can only hope to continue writing during my free time. But don't worry, this story will continue to be updated no matter what! I'll make sure of it :)**

**This is a very important chapter. I hope you guys pay really close attention to everything that's going to happen and what's going to be said. **

****Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. **Without further adieu, Chapter 20!**

Chapter 20: The Next Landon and Bella

**Bella POV**

"_What's there to plan? All we have to say is 'Hey, Mandy. Did you know? We're actually birds!'"_

"_I don't think that's going to go smoothly with her, Ives."_

"_Well, you took it well enough."_

"_That's different. I already knew about vampires and shit. She doesn't."_

"_What the fuck?! Vampires?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Mandy shrieked._

* * *

><p>We all glanced down at her. Her eyes were wide, looking at us like we were on drugs.<p>

"Good morning, sunshine!" Ives grinned at her.

"Don't sunshine me, Ives Kris Fiore. I demand to know about what I saw!"

"I thought you'd at least have some sort of amnesia," Daniel muttered.

She sat up on the bed, cradling her head. "Shit, that hurts."

"Don't you want to lay down?"

She shook her head at Rayne's question. "I just really want to know what happened."

Everyone glanced at me. It was no question that I'm the closest to Mandy. Therefore, I had to be the one to break the news.

"Well, we're birds," I said, chuckling nervously.

"No shit, Bella," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I want to know how."

"We were born into it. I'm sure you've watched the Harry Potter movies, yes?" Landon asked her.

She nodded. "Of course, who hasn't?"

"The Phoenix bird that was in the movies, that's what we are. We're Phoenixes," Landon continued.

Mandy's mouth opened into an 'O.' "Does that mean you guys reincarnate and stuff too?"

I chuckled. "You catch on pretty quick," I commented with a smile. "But yeah, we do. But real Phoenixes, like the one in the movie, reincarnate every five hundred to a thousand years. Because we've had so many generations of Phoenixes, that number dropped down to fifty years," I explained to her.

"So, how old are you guys exactly?" she asked.

"We're really the age that we are, but we've been Phoenixes for fifty years, give or take," Daniel answered.

"But please don't think I'm an old man or anything!" Ives exclaimed quickly.

Mandy let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry about that. You guys are all _way _too immature to even be considered old."

We smiled at her. "So, are you okay with this?" Rayne asked her.

She nodded.

"And you promise not to tell anyone?"

She made a face at Patrick. "Who the hell do you think I am? Of course I'm not going to tell anyone. You guys are practically family."

Patrick grinned. "Just checking. You never know."

"Wait, since you've been Phoenixes for fifty years, does that mean you'll have to reincarnate soon?" she asked curiously.

Landon nodded at her question. "Yeah actually, we do."

"What happens if you don't?"

"We start aging again," Ives answered.

Mandy's eyes widened. "Seriously? That's awesome! So technically you guys still have the choice to become mortal."

"Yup," I grinned. "That's the best part."

She shook her head with disbelief, but I could clearly see the smile on her lips. "So…"

Daniel laughed. "So what?"

"Can I see all of your wings? I saw that Landon and Bella had black and white wings. I'm assuming you all have different colored ones?"

"Yes, Mandy. We do," Patrick said, rolling his eyes.

"So? Can I? Can I? Can I?"

"You'll have to wait until after school. We can't exactly expose ourselves here," I said.

"Oh, of course!"

"Does this mean that we're cool?" Ives asked her.

"Cool? Are you serious? This is more than cool!"

"Wow, Bella. She took it way better than you did," Rayne commented, grinning at me.

"Shut up. How was I supposed to react?"

"Wait, what do you mean?" Mandy asked.

"Bella wasn't born as a Phoenix," Landon finally said.

Mandy's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't understand."

"I became a Phoenix because I chose to be. There's a process to it, but it's not exactly the most pleasurable experience," I explained, wincing at the memory. That shit seriously hurt.

"Does that mean I could become a Phoenix too?"

All of our eyes widened.

"Whoa there! Don't get too ahead of yourself now," Daniel warned her. "Being a Phoenix might seem cool, but there are so many disadvantages to it. Don't let the moment carry you away."

"Right, right. Sorry. This just seems so surreal," she said with awe.

"You'll get used to it," I told her, offering a small smile. "Shall we get going then? I think all of this information needs to sink in to you without all of us crowding you."

She nodded. "Actually, yeah. I'd like that."

"You heard the lady, out," I ordered everyone.

"We'll see you later then?" Ives asked her with a smile.

"Hell yes. I want to know more about you guys."

_Yes! Oh hell to the motherfucking yes!_

_Can you be any more discreet?_ I asked him, rolling my eyes.

_I'm just so excited. Oh my God! Best day ever!_

We all piled out of the Clinic, making sure to lock the door behind us.

"See you later, Mandy," I said. She smiled and waved back.

"That wasn't so bad," Rayne said.

"It could have gone worse," Landon agreed, wrapping an arm over my shoulder.

"Yes! Whoo! Oh yeah!" Ives cheered, jumping up and down and clapping happily.

Patrick rolled his eyes. "Jesus, Ives. Can you be any more obvious?"

Ives grinned at him. "Actually, yes I can."

"Forget I even asked."

* * *

><p>Luckily, the rest of the school day passed by without another hitch. The Cullens seemed to take the hint and proceeded to make every attempt to avoid us the rest of the day. I was glad. Hell, everyone was happy. Maybe, for once, Edward finally took the hint.<p>

"Where did Mandy say she'd meet us?" Rayne asked as we all piled out of the school.

"I texted her a while ago. She said she's going to meet us by our cars," I answered.

Just as I answered, I immediately saw Mandy waving us over as she stood by Landon's car and mine.

"Hey," I greeted, smiling at her. "Ready to get this show on the road?"

She nodded eagerly. "Hell yes! I spent those last few periods thinking over everything and realized that it didn't really matter. You guys are still you and I'm just _dying_ to see your… you know." She winked at us, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"I told you she would take it well," Ives announced, gazing over Mandy with pride.

"Oh shut up, Ives. You were just as panicked as the rest of us," Daniel said, contradicting him.

"I resent that!"

"You resent everything, Ives," Mandy said, rolling her eyes.

Patrick chuckled. "Hey! You're catching on."

Landon smiled. "Okay, okay. Let's go now before we cross paths with the bloodsuckers again."

Everyone quickly agreed. However, Mandy looked confused.

"We'll explain later," Rayne whispered in her ear.

Mandy nodded. "Who should I ride with?"

"Me!" Ives immediately volunteered. We all rolled our eyes at him.

"Okay," Mandy smiled shyly.

_Mandy? Shy? When did that happen?_

Landon grinned at me. _I think she's finally seeing Ives in a new light._

"Maybe," I agreed lowly.

"Alright, we'll see you there. Catch you guys later. We still need to pick up the munchkins," Daniel said.

Mandy and Patrick got into Ives' car just as Landon and I got into ours. Slowly we piled out of the school parking lot and towards our house.

During the drive, I couldn't help the smile that graced my lips.

Landon intertwined our fingers together and smiled at me. "You look so happy," he commented, giving my knuckles a kiss.

I smiled and leaned into him, pecking his neck softly. "I am," I confirmed. "Everything is just falling into place."

Although he kept his eyes trained on me, Landon seemed to manage to drive safely. "You're beautiful when you're smiling."

I bit my lip and uncontrollably blushed. No matter how many times he's complimented me, I still can't get used to it. His never-ending gaze continues to give me fluttering butterflies in the pit of my stomach and his kisses never fail to leave me feeling like I'm in Heaven on Earth.

I closed my eyes slowly and kept the smile on my lips as I snuggled into his arm.

"I love you," I whispered.

I felt him place a loving kiss on the crown of my head. "I love you too, Bella. Forever."

The moment we had couldn't have been any better, but for some reason, I just couldn't help but feel something terrible building up. The hair on the back of my neck rose, as if trying to warn me of what was to come.

When I felt Landon place another kiss on my forehead, I just shook my head, passing it off as another Ives running into a pole incident.

Soon enough, we arrived at our home. As I gazed out into our windshield, I saw that everyone else had arrived.

Landon and I gave each other another round of smiles before getting out of the car.

"Hey, guys!" I greeted.

"You guys are here!" Mandy exclaimed, grinning widely.

"I see Ives and Patrick wasted no time," Landon commented dryly.

I looked towards the two and saw that they already had their wings spread out before them. Ives' yellow wings flapped strongly behind him and Patrick's green wings flapped a bit more softly.

"This is amazing! Your wings look so awesome!" Mandy gazed up at Ives and Patrick in awe.

Rayne chuckled. "Come on, their wings aren't _that_ amazing."

"Why don't you show her your wings, Rayne?" I suggested, grinning.

Rayne smiled. "Why, of course."

She shook her back and let the wings appear, unfurling from her back. Mandy gasped, her eyes widening even further.

"It's beautiful," she murmured.

Beside Rayne, Daniel rolled his eyes. "Now you're just showing off."

Rayne beamed with no shame. "Are you kidding? This is the first time since Bella that I've been able to stun someone with my wings. I'm taking full advantage!"

Daniel chuckled, pecking Rayne's lips. "Guess it's my turn." Puffing his chest forward the slightest bit, Daniel closed his eyes and let his wings free.

"Orange!" Mandy squeaked. "Do all of you guys have different colored wings?"

We all nodded. "I think it has something to do with our personalities," Patrick offered.

"Oh please," Rhia's unmistakable voice snapped. "You're acting too amazed about all of this," she continued, pointedly talking to Mandy. "We're Phoenixes, birds, get over it."

"God, Rhia. Why do you have to be a bitch about everything?" Ives spat at her.

Rhia glared at him. "You wanna go down with me, Kris?" she spat.

Ives gulped. "Just saying," he muttered.

Mandy chuckled. "You know you're really scary," she told Rhia, who in turn gave her a smirk. "But I like you. Anyone who can shut Ives up like that is good in my book."

Rhia stared at her with calculating eyes and cocked her head to the side, as if studying Mandy. A slow gust of wind blew past us and crashed against Rhia. No one else probably noticed, but I saw that her eyes widened just the slightest bit.

"Oh my God," she mumbled.

"What, Rhia?" Marc asked worriedly.

Slowly, a small smile made its way upon her face.

_I don't know if I should be scared or happy that she's smiling,_ Daniel commented to us. We all wholeheartedly agreed.

"Oh this is going to be much fun," she murmured in an evil tone to herself. Mandy who couldn't hear a thing because of her human ears just looked at Rhia with a confused expression. "You know what, Mandy? I think I'm going to like you."

And just like that, Rhia turned around and headed back into the house, not sparing any of another glance.

We all looked at each other with confused faces.

"What the hell?" Patrick asked.

"Did she just say that she actually likes Mandy?" Ives asked with disbelief.

Mandy glared at him and smacked his shoulder. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Ives began to stutter. "I... uh – "

"What Ives means is that you never hear Rhia say that. Ever," Daniel said with finality that we all understood.

"Rhia never outright tells anybody that she likes them. It's either you know it or you don't," Landon continued.

"Take me, for example. Rhia practically tried to scare me off the first day I met her," I told Mandy.

Rayne gave Mandy a soft smile. "Honestly, you should feel extremely honored. If Rhia likes you, then you clearly have a good future with us."

Mandy beamed. "Wow, so you're saying I have the approval of the one person that doesn't like any of you?"

We scowled playfully at her.

"Oh, shut up. Stop feeling so special," I joked.

"Hi!" I smiled at the boyish but still high-pitched voice.

"Hi," Mandy grinned back at Marc.

"Your name starts with an M, just like me!" he exclaimed, smiling brightly at her. "I'm Marc."

Kneeling down to his height, Mandy chuckled and shook his outstretched hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too. You're pretty. Not trashy pretty like Amy was, but _pretty._" He gazed up at her with twinkling eyes.

"That's because Amy was a bitch," Ives muttered.

"Hey!" I shouted, pointing accusingly at Marc. "That's what you said to me too!"

Marc smiled guiltily with a shrug. "You guys are both pretty."

"Or maybe you're just trying to trick her into liking you," Patrick offered, sticking a tongue out at Marc. Marc returned the gesture.

"Well, if it counts, I think you're cute too," Mandy commented with a smile.

Marc squeaked happily. He looked into Mandy's eyes and widened his eyes just like the Puss in Boots would do in Shrek, as he tried to portray himself as an innocent. _Here we go… _"Are you Ives' girlfriend?"

Mandy blushed madly as Ives snapped his head towards Marc.

"MARC!"

Marc laughed gleefully and quickly escaped towards the direction Rhia left in.

We all couldn't help it. We burst out laughing while Mandy and Ives both stayed red. Mandy because of embarrassment and Ives because of anger and humiliation.

"Oh man," Patrick chuckled. "That kid just earned himself some respect!"

Daniel nodded, laughing with agreement. "Rhia is rubbing off of him for sure."

"Hey," I said to Rayne, "Do you think you guys can handle Mandy without us?"

She nodded. "Why?"

I looked over at Landon and saw that he was thinking the same as me. "I think Landon and I just need some time to talk."

"Go ahead, Bella," Daniel cut in with a smile, "We got it from here. We'll make sure Patrick and Ives don't do anything stupid."

"Hey!"

Rayne rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up, you two."

They both huffed indignantly and I chuckled.

"Alright, we'll see you guys in a while. Bye Mandy! See you later," I said.

She smiled and waved. "I'll see you two later!"

I walked over to Landon and intertwined our fingers together. He smiled down at me before dragging me into the woods.

I chuckled as he began gaining speed. Soon enough, his wings popped out from his back and we were flying through the air. I, on the other hand, let my wings settle in my back and just let Landon carry me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes, letting the cool breeze blow my face.

"Hey," he said softly, kissing my forehead.

I peeked open my eyes and saw that he had already settled us onto the ground.

"Hi," I replied with a small smile.

"Wanna take a walk?"

I nodded eagerly and slipped my hand back into his. I squinted my eyes and saw that we were heading towards his tree house studio.

After the incident that occurred, the white walls inside the tree house were now splattered with different colors of paint. After saying yes to him, I saw the outline of my body against the wall in which Landon had pressed me against. I was so embarrassed by it, but Landon only grinned and told me that he liked remembering the spot where we made out.

"So…" I started off, smiling toothily at him. "We're going back to the tree house?"

He chuckled and placed a kiss on the crown of my head. "No, I told you we're taking a walk."

I pouted. "But – "

He laughed but finally relented. "Maybe later, okay?" I smiled brightly at him and nodded my head. "I just really want to talk to you about something," he added.

I scrunched my eyes worriedly. "About?"

He gripped my hand tighter and looked seriously at me. "I was serious about us getting our own place, Bella."

My heart plastered itself against my chest and my eyes widened. Slowly, I slipped my hand out of his and walked a few steps in front of him as I tried to give myself some room to breathe.

"Bella?" he asked softly.

I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to regain my breathing.

"Landon, I told you already – "

He let out a cry of frustration, cutting me off. "Don't tell me you're still hung up on the whole commitment issue, Bella. You've already agreed to marry me. I don't see what's still holding you back!"

I turned around and finally looked at him. His eyes were gazing at me with fire, anger, and sadness. I sighed, hating that it was my fault why his beautiful eyes held pain.

I took a deep breath and began. "My parents were high school sweethearts. My mom was eighteen when she had me. Charlie and Renee thought they were _in love_," I spat out the words, feeling bitter. "Before they got married, they had the perfect relationship. But as soon as they got married, that perfect relationship became a ruined relationship.

As soon as they moved in together, they started having issues. They fought about the littlest things, like whose turn it was to feed me or take care of me. I was so young, Landon. You have to understand. I was way too young to be exposed to that kind of environment. I promised myself I would never allow myself to go through what the two of them did.

So yeah, I did become a Phoenix and promised to be with you forever, but at least I didn't go through what the two of them did. We haven't gotten married or had a kid. We're having our fair share of fights recently but it's nothing compared to _their_ petty fights. So, yes, I agreed to marry you, but I don't know what it's like to live with _only_ you. And I feel like once we move out, things could change. I know I'm being irrational, that my way of thinking makes no sense, but Landon, I grew up believing this and it's hard for me to believe otherwise."

I let out a huge breath and gauged Landon's reaction. His eyes smoldered with understanding and love. Slowly, he took huge steps to close the gap between us.

My eyes fluttered as he reached up to caress my cheek. Leaning down, he rested his forehead against mine and breathed, letting me smell the minty scent of his that I loved so much.

"And I won't let you go through what they did either," he finally spoke. I could feel myself drift away due to his close proximity. "Every couple is different. You may be Charlie and Renee's kid, but you are nothing like them, okay? You will _not_ end up like them."

"But – "

He hushed me with a kiss on the lips. "_We_ are nothing like them. I'd be damned if I let you get away the way Charlie and Renee let go of each other. I love you, Bella. Nothing's going to change between us, ever. Even if we move out or have a kid, I'm still going to love you."

A tear finally rolled down my cheeks. I couldn't help it. Landon was just so understanding, so perfect for me, that I couldn't understand how lucky I was to have him.

"Shh," Landon soothed, catching my tear with his lips. He cupped my cheeks and nuzzled my nose with his. "Look at me, Bella." Without hesitation my eyes fluttered open and I stared back into his currently steely gray eyes. "I love you. Forever and always. So please, let us have the chance to at least experience what it's like to love each other without the rest of the family crowding us."

A small sob escaped my lips and I crushed myself against his body, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist. Landon wasted no time returning my hug. "Okay," the words escaped my mouth shakily. Although I couldn't see his face, I knew that a smile graced Landon's lips at that moment.

He picked me up off of the ground and twirled me around. "You're not going to regret this," he said softly, placing a soft kiss on my lips.

"Under one condition," I added.

"Anything."

"We'll move out _only_ after we get married. It only makes sense."

He nodded eagerly. "Of, course."

I finally smiled and hugged him once more. "I love you too, Landon."

He grinned. "Forever and always."

* * *

><p>As promised, Landon brought me back to the tree house and we had another heavy make-out session, but this time without being covered in paint.<p>

We must have been separated from the family for a good two hours before we finally decided to come back. The first sight that greeted us upon arriving was Ives' wings up in the air. It seemed that everyone else headed off inside except for him.

I turned to look at Landon only to see that he was also looking up at Ives.

_What do you think he's doing up there?_ I asked him.

He shrugged and returned my gaze. _Beats me. _

Just as I opened my mouth to call out Ives' name, he turned around to reveal a smiling and flushed Mandy wrapped up in his arms.

A bright smile spread across my lips and I couldn't help the small squeal that escaped my lips. I started bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet. Landon chuckled and placed two hands on my shoulders to settle me down.

_Calm down. Don't let Ives know that we're looking._

I nodded immediately and understood his concern. I settled back onto the ground and leaned against Landon as he wrapped his arms around my stomach. His chin settled perfectly on my shoulder as the two of us watched Ives fly and spin Mandy up in the air.

_They look so adorable,_ I gushed.

I felt Landon smile against my neck. _Maybe they'll be the next Landon and Bella._

I turned my head just the slightest bit to let Landon see my warm smile.

_Maybe,_ I agreed wholeheartedly.

**EEP! What do you guys think about Mandy and Ives? I think they're absolutely adorable! This has been a long time coming. Trust me, I've planned for this to happen a loooooong time ago. I'm happy I finally got it out. Hooray! :)**

**Also, Bella and Landon are finally on the same page. Woot! Seems like everything is finally falling into place, isn't it?**

**Not for long...**

**What? I didn't say anything ;)**

**If you didn't read the top announcement, here it is again:**

****Any update with this story is most likely going to be on a _Saturday or Sunday_. Why, you ask? Well, darlings, I just finished my first week of school and after sitting through my classes, I realized that I'm pretty much going to be busy with assignments. I am going to be a JUNIOR after all. I can only hope to continue writing during my free time. But don't worry, this story will continue to be updated no matter what! I'll make sure of it :)****

****Don't forget to REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!****

****I wanna know what you guys think!****


	21. Finding Out

Chapter 21: Finding Out

"Rise and shine, everybody! Time for school!" I sang at the top of my lungs as I ran up and down the halls.

"Shut up, Bella!"

"God, you fucking psycho!"

I giggled happily at their responses. "Get your lazy asses up and get ready!"

Already ready, I skipped down the stairs and went into the kitchen, greeting Cassandra and Adrien.

"You sure like pissing them off in the morning, don't you?" Adrien chuckled.

I nodded with a grin and kissed his cheek. "Good morning and of course. That's my life's purpose."

"I'm just glad that someone's making sure they're going to school," Cassandra said, smiling at me. "Because honestly, Adrien and I just don't care."

I laughed. "What amazing parents you two are," I joked. They chuckled and shook their heads at me.

I immediately grabbed a plate and began stacking it with Adrien's famous breakfast. Just when I was about to bite into my piece of bacon, Ives emerged the stairs looking annoyed. I held a smirk and chuckle in.

"Oh, shut up," he spat at me, rolling his eyes.

"What?" I asked innocently. "I didn't do anything."

"Don't act so innocent," Daniel interjected as he appeared with Rayne. "You always do this to us. Every damn morning." Rayne nodded her head eagerly beside him.

"Really, Bella. I love you and all but you can get annoying as f – " Marc coughed and gave her a pointed look. Rayne rolled her eyes before finishing her sentence. "Annoying as crap. There Marc, happy?"

He grinned and nodded.

"Can I start a revolution and suggest that we stop going to school after our graduation?" Patrick asked, yawning as he also appeared.

Rayne, Daniel, and Ives nodded enthusiastically.

"That's not a bad idea!" Ives agreed. "I suggest we do the same. Everyone in favor, say I!"

"I," they all agreed.

My mouth dropped open.

"I," Landon's unmistakable voice added.

"You traitor!" I accused, pointing a figure at him.

He laughed. "I'm sorry, Bella, but I'm getting tired of school too. It's been fifty years. I think it's about time we stop."

I sighed and slumped in my chair. "Is this what you guys really want?" I asked them.

They all nodded their heads with certainty. I gave Adrien and Cassandra pleading looks. They merely shrugged at me.

"We told you earlier, we really don't care," Cassandra repeated.

"Yeah, it's up to you guys," Adrien agreed.

"No more school? Whoo!" Marc began to cheer.

Cassandra was quick to contradict him. "Nuh uh, Marc. You and Rhia still have to go to school."

"That's not fair!" both Rhia and Marc shouted.

"Honey," Adrien began to tell Rhia, "They can stop going to school because they can pass it off that they've already finished. However, you and Marc are still kids under the eyes of other people."

"Then we'll start aging again," Rhia said.

Marc's eyes widened but slowly he began to agree with Rhia. "Yeah, I think it's time we start aging."

"Is that what you guys really want?" Cassandra asked them, asking the same question I asked the others.

They both nodded.

"I think we can handle it, right Marc?" Rhia asked.

"Yeah, I don't want to be ten forever, Mom," Marc said to Cassandra.

She sighed. "Okay, then. So we're all in understanding that Rhia and Marc won't be Blazing with the rest of us anymore?" she asked all of us.

We all nodded in agreement.

Adrien smiled sadly at Cassandra. "Guess we're about to let go of our little ones, huh?"

She smiled back at him. "It was only a matter of time."

Rhia and Marc groaned.

"Please don't get all sappy on us now!"

They chuckled. "We're not," Cassandra denied, wiping a tear from the corner of her eyes.

"You guys are just growing up," Adrien added, "We get that."

"Okay, we're out!" Marc announced, dragging Rhia out with him.

"Rayne, Daniel, let's go," Rhia commanded them.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "You're not the boss of me!"

"You really wanna test that?"

"We're coming!" Daniel added. We chuckled.

"See you guys there," I told them.

Rayne gave us a salute before they followed Rhia and Marc out.

"You know," Ives started as he ate a pancake, "Aging a couple years doesn't sound too bad. I mean, imagine it. When we're 21, we can finally drink alcohol in America without it being illegal."

Cassandra glared at him with an arm on her hip. "And when have you guys done _that_?"

Ives' eyes widened. "I mean, what? I didn't say anything. See you guys later!"

He immediately got out of his seat and exited the house. I smirked.

"Don't worry, Cassandra," I said, patting her arm in reassurance.

Adrien smiled. "Go, kids. I think you guys are running a bit late."

Actually, we still have at least half an hour to spare, but I understood what he was doing.

"Alright then," Patrick said. "I'm out. I'll see you guys in a bit."

"Bye guys," I waved to Adrien and Cassandra. They waved back.

I moved over to Landon's side and intertwined our fingers together. As he looked down on me, I gave him a bright smile.

"You're still looking pretty happy," he commented, pecking my forehead.

"Of course. I have every reason to be. Everything's falling into place."

"I'm glad. I like seeing you like this."

I smiled at him as we got into his car. "I like being like this," I agreed. "It feels nice."

And the feeling did feel nice. It felt way too nice for my own comfort. Because just as always, when everything is going great, something terrible will occur in place of it.

* * *

><p>"So what kind of place do you wanna live in? A house? Apartment? Anything you want," Landon said, smiling at me as we made our way to the rest of the group.<p>

I chuckled. "How about we talk about it when we cross that bridge? We haven't even decided a date yet."

He grinned and gripped my hand tightly. "Can you blame me? I'm extremely excited."

"I can tell," I said, grinning as I kissed his nose. "Just slow down, okay? One step at a time."

He nodded. "Okay. Got it."

When we reached the rest of the family, I expected to be met with smiles. However, all of their faces were masked with confusion.

"Is what we heard right?" Ives asked us.

I met Landon's eyes. _Shit_.

"You guys are planning to move out?" Patrick continued the inquisition.

"Well…"

"After we get married…"

Landon and I both spoke simultaneously, not knowing what to say. This wasn't exactly how we planned to break the news.

"Don't get us wrong," Daniel continued, "We're happy that you guys are getting married and everything, but to move out? I thought we would be sticking together as a family."

"Come on, you guys," Rayne interjected, "After Bella and Landon get married, you didn't really expect the two of them to keep living with us. They deserve that much after putting up with all of us."

"I know, it's just…" Ives sighed.

I smiled sadly and took a seat next to him. "Geez, you guys must love us that much, huh?" I joked, playfully bumping into him. "Just because we're moving out, it doesn't mean that we're cutting you guys out of our lives."

"If it's what will make the two of you happy, then do it," Patrick finally said, understanding lacing his voice. I smiled at him.

"Thanks, Pat." He tipped his head with a smile.

"Okay, fine. But you two better not live too far, alright?" Daniel demanded. I looked up at him and saw the smile on his face. I grinned back at him.

"Of course," Landon said. "Besides, when Bella and I made the decision, we added you guys into that decision. We weren't about to live far away. Just far enough that you won't hear – "

"Landon!" I shrieked, my face flushing red.

This managed to get a chuckle out of Ives. "Okay. I get why you guys want to move out now."

My eyes widened. "What? No! That's not why!"

Landon grinned evilly. "Come on, Bella. Don't deny it now. You know we're moving out so that we can have sex in peace and – "

I clamped my hand on my ears and shouted, "Oh. My. God. Shut up!"

The rest of the family began laughing loudly, obviously reveling in my embarrassment.

"Okay, okay. We get it," Ives laughed. "We don't want anymore details."

Although I was still embarrassed, I still managed to say, "Thanks, you guys. It means a lot that you guys understand."

Rayne smiled at me. "Of course we understand."

Landon wrapped his arm around my waist and smiled at me. "I told you they would understand."

"Seriously, Bella. You panic about everything," Patrick said.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Oh, shut up, why don't you?"

"Make me."

I opened my mouth to speak but I was interrupted before I could ever start.

"Hey, guys!"

Our attentions were now solely on Mandy, who was making her way towards us. We all smiled at her.

"Hey, Mandy."

Ives grinned at her. "Good morning, sunshine."

"Good morning, Ives," she replied back with a bright smile on her face.

I bit my lip to prevent me from squealing. _God, they're just so damn cute._

_Calm yourself now,_ Landon joked.

"I see what's going on here," Rayne said, snickering.

I met her eyes and winked at her. We reached out to high five each other. "We totally called it," I said proudly.

"Called what?" Ives asked curiously.

"Nothing to concern your little brain," Rayne said condescendingly.

"I resent that!"

We just rolled our eyes at him.

"Anyways, how's it going?" I asked Mandy.

She grinned. "It's going great. I'm so glad to be a part of the secret now."

"It's not really a secret," Daniel to her, "More of a hidden lifestyle."

"Still, I'm happy to know that you guys trust me enough to not kill or something."

Landon chuckled. "We're not going to kill just because you find out."

Patrick agreed. "Yeah, the only type of monsters that would kill you are – "

"Patrick!" we shouted at him.

"What?" he asked innocently. "I'm only stating the truth."

"What do you mean?" Mandy asked him.

Ives shook his head. "There are some things that are just better left unsaid," he told her.

"But I really want to – "

Edward's growl filled our ears. "I knew it!"

"Edward, what are you talking about?" Rosalie asked him as she and the rest of their clan followed him nervously.

"I knew there was something wrong with them. I can't read any of their minds. But it seems as though Mandy found out the secret, and I managed to pull out the information from her head."

He continued to explain to them of his discovery about how we're Phoenixes and all the information that Mandy was also just recently aware of. While explaining, Edward angrily stalked his way towards our direction with the rest of the clan. Emmett wasn't far behind, looking annoyed.

"Damn it, Edward. Bella isn't your business anymore!"

Edward snapped his head towards him. "She is my business!"

Angrily, both Landon and I stood up, ready to face them.

"Now wait a damn minute!" I shouted at him. "I have nothing to do with you."

The rest of my family was quick to flank me. I saw that Ives had held Mandy behind him.

"I knew you guys weren't all that you were saying you were," Edward accused.

"Why?" Landon growled. "Are you our keeper? Do we have to tell you everything about our lives? Huh?! If there's something we don't want to tell you, then we won't _fucking_ tell you. Our business is ours and ours only. Not yours!"

Edward took a menacing step towards Landon but Jasper quickly pulled him back.

"He has a point, Edward," he hissed.

Edward ripped himself away from Jasper's grip.

"Tell me, Bella. How could you let them change you?" he spat bitterly.

With clenched fists, I glared at him, making sure he could see the fire behind my red flaring eyes. "I don't owe you any explanation Edward, but I'll give you one anyways. I didn't _let_ them change me. I _chose_ to be changed. There's a difference. So don't go around accusing me of things that you know nothing of."

_Bella, people are starting to notice,_ Rayne warned.

"If you guys want to talk," Daniel growled, "We'll talk, but not here. Not in front of all these people."

We all moved quickly into the woods that surrounded the school, knowing that none of the other students would dare follow us. Besides, students were barely arriving, most likely not even aware of the fight that was about to ensue.

As soon as we were out of sight, a new voice joined the war.

"We left because we wanted to keep you human," Alice's small voice added.

I chuckled humorlessly. "As soon as you let me in on your secret and allowed me to get close to you, my normal _human_ life wasn't ever going to be normal again. I'm sure you all knew that. So don't even try to make up excuses, Alice," I hissed, spatting her name with disgust.

Jasper and Rosalie stayed in the background, not really getting involved. It seemed to me that they were only really there to make sure that Thing 1 and Thing 2 weren't going to do anything. Emmett, on the other hand was a different case. He looked like he wanted to do anything but stay quiet but it seemed that he knew that I knew what I was doing. I very much appreciated his trust in me.

"Maybe you weren't going to have a normal human life, but at least you would have stayed human!" Edward interjected.

"Do you even hear yourself?" Rayne asked him with disbelief. "Nothing that's coming out of your mouth is making sense."

"She's right," I continued, "You wanted me to stay human? For what? For me to stay miserable the rest of my life, wondering what I did wrong to make you guys leave me, to not want me? Meeting the Fiores, _my_ family, was the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't regret giving up my human life for an eternity with them. I once felt the same with your family, but obviously me sacrificing my human life wasn't enough for you."

I heard Landon's teeth grind beside me.

_I don't like the thought of you being a vampire,_ he explained angrily.

_I know, honey. The thought disgusts me too._

"It wasn't that it wasn't enough for us, Bella," Alice began to explain, "We just didn't want you to give everything up for us."

I scoffed. "Yeah, well thank god for that," I said sarcastically. "If I actually pulled through with turning into a vampire, I don't know where I'd be right now. Probably killing _innocent_ humans."

Edward gasped. "We wouldn't have allowed you to become such a monster."

"Like Rayne said, do you even hear yourself? You're being hypocritical, Edward. You wouldn't have _allowed_ me to become a monster? A monster like you? If you don't recall, there was a time when you used to kill innocent humans too!" I shot back at him.

His eyes flared at the mention of his terrible past. As soon as he opened his mouth again, he was on a roll, which quite frankly, pissed the hell out of me.

"Sure, I made a terrible lifestyle choice before, but that was nearly a century ago, Bella! I'm not the same person that I was. At least I'm no longer a monster. Not like you are. _They _turned you into this… _this monster._ How could you choose to become like this? Were you even thinking about Charlie? How selfish are you?!" he spat at me.

The anger flared up inside of me, building up like a volcano that couldn't wait to explode. I felt my eyes burn as they turned into a bright red. Fire rose all over my skin as I released my wings from captivity. My fingers tingled as red hot flames took their place in them.

For the first time in my life, I saw fear run in the eyes of the family I used to call my own, fear of _me._

**SHIT. JUST. GOT. REAL. More of the fight in the next chapter :)**_  
><em>

**Anyways, this chapter is a little bit on the shorter side. Phew, less than 3,000 words for this story usually isn't my style. BUT because of school and everything, writing even just a few hundred words is getting really hard.**

**Sorry for the two week late update. I barely settled into my normal school routine with all my homeworks and what not. Hopefully, the NEXT UPDATE won't be that far from your future :)**

**I have written part of the next chapter already. As an apology, I decided to give you guys a few lines from my favorite scene in the next chapter. It's also a little bit of a teaser to keep you guys on the edge of your seats. They're not in any specific order. Hope you guys like it :)**

She sighed and looked at me straight in the eye. "This has to happen. Do you understand?"

I bit my lip as I saw the first emotion I've ever seen in her eyes. It wasn't exactly the first emotion I ever wanted to see in her. Sadness. There was sadness in her eyes.

"No one ever realizes! No one but Marc!" she shouted.

She let out a dry laugh and looked me in the eyes. "Sometimes, not knowing is better than knowing."

"No matter what happens, there's going to be a happy ending for all of us, for _you_."

**** Btw, this is a scene between Bella and Rhia. Ohhhhh, interested yet?****

****But that's not all! Leave me a REVIEW and you shall get an extra SNEAK PEEK. Aren't I just so awesome?****

****So stop by and leave me a REVIEW and tell me what you think!****


	22. Haunted

**OH GOD. I'm so sorry! I swear! School has been so damn stressful lately and I haven't had time to write or update. **

**Promise, it's not just you guys that are getting frustrated. I wanna write something, ANYTHING, so badly but I just don't have the time. **

**Luckily, I managed to find time and finally finished this chapter. The ****next chapter is in the works and it will hopefully updated soon. Promise, it's not going to take me another month to update. SORRY!**

**I hope this chapter somehow makes up for it. Sorry again! :(**

_Did you think it would be that easy?_  
><em>Did you think I'd be back for more?<em>  
><em>Loving you was a big mistake cuz' I don't miss you at all.<em>

- Amy Pearson, Don't Miss You

Chapter 22: Haunted

"How _fucking_ dare you?" I yelled with pure, unadulterated anger. "You don't get the right to speak my father's name or assume that I didn't care for him. Because you know what? You were the reason why I hadn't spent so much time with him during my human life. I was willing to give everything up for you. Do you _fucking_ understand that, _Edward?"_ I spat his name with untainted hatred.

I took a step towards him and he took a step back. This scene seemed much too familiar. Except this time, he took a step back in fear of _me_, not me stepping forward because of my fear of losing _him_. No, this time, the tables had been turned.

"I spent all my time in Forks trying to get closer to you, to let you know that I loved you despite of your true identity. I loved you so _fucking_ much, Edward. And that was the biggest mistake of my life. And you know what? I don't miss you at all. Maybe I missed you at first, but I don't anymore. I haven't in a long time. The only thing I feel for you are hatred, anger, and pity. I pity you because you can't let go of the past. You made a mistake in letting me go and you need to _fucking_ accept that!"

It seemed that I just couldn't stop using profane language. I was just way too _fucking_ pissed.

"B-Bella," he began to stutter.

I flapped my wings angrily, blowing a gust of wind among us. "No, shut up! I'm not done yet!"

I met the eyes of my family. I met Landon's eyes last. I didn't break my gaze. His eyes were hard and stony, but I saw what he was trying to tell me. I nodded my head.

I snapped my gaze back to Edward _fucking_ Cullen.

"I loved Charlie with every fiber of my being. You leaving was the best thing that ever happened to me. Because you left, I was able to rekindle my relationship with my father. We became close, the way a father and daughter should be. Had you stayed, I would have lost contact with my father before I even left high school. He knew the Fiores, _Edward_. In fact, he loved them. He loved them the way he never liked you or the rest of your family."

Annoyance flashed in Edward's eyes. "That's not true."

I scoffed. "Well, you better fucking believe it. And the Fiores allowed me to let Charlie know about their secret, because they wanted the most important person in my life to share the secret _with_ me. They allowed me to let him in the loop. I didn't even have to ask them. They already knew that it would make me happy. They let me tell my father the way you _never_ did.

They're no monster. I'm no monster. The only monster I see here is you. You played with an innocent girl's feelings and left her in the dust when you couldn't keep up your pathetic charade anymore. As soon as Jasper attacked me, you realized that you're not human despite how hard you try to act like you are. The way I see it, you're worse than a human-drinker. Unlike the rest of you, at least they stay true to their nature. You try to act like something you're not and it's just plain disgusting."

As soon as I finished my speech, I found that I left everyone speechless.

Edward stared at me with wide eyes. "You're not the Bella I knew," he accused.

"The Bella you knew died when you left her. This is me, who I've always been. I just never had the chance to find who I was because you were always there to stop me from doing so."

"You really think we're worse?" Alice asked in a small voice.

"Yeah, I do," I declared with certainty.

"They've brainwashed you," Edward hissed.

Landon let out an angry growl. "Were you even listening to anything she said to you? She's done with you. She's been done with you for a long time. Why can't you fucking let it go? It seemed easy enough for you to do it the first time."

"You are no part of this conversation," Edward barked at him.

An irritated sigh left my lips. I placed a hand on Landon's forearm, trying to calm him.

_I'm done with this. Nothing is going to change his mind. He's dead set on what he wants to believe. It's no use._

_I'm tired of his presence, Bella. I can't put up with this anymore._

"This conversation is done," I snapped. "I'm done talking to you. Obviously, nothing I say is coming across your damn head. Believe what you want to believe. Just know this, I'm done with you, Edward. If I see your face one more time, I will not be held responsible for what I might do to you. With the exception of Emmett, the same goes to the rest of you. Give this a fucking rest!"

"I'm not giving up, Bella," Edward said.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't go crying when I rip of your fucking head then."

"God, what world do you live in?" Ives asked him with incredulity in his voice. "You're not going to get everything you want, especially when you already had it, but you let it go."

"Bloodsuckers like you deserve to die," Daniel growled.

At the sound of a small whimper, my back tensed. I met Mandy's eyes. They were filled with fear but also a hint courage. Slowly, she left Ives' protection.

"Mandy – "

"No, let me say something."

The Cullens' eyes widened as they realized that they had just revealed themselves to a human. It seemed that they had completely forgotten her presence during the ordeal.

"What is she doing here?" Jasper hissed.

I held my chin up and answered him. "She's a part of our family. She knows our secret. Therefore, she's under our protection. You do anything to harm her or do anything to get close to her, you'll be answering to us."

Mandy gave me a small smile, but it seemed that she really wanted to say something. Shaking her head, she started.

"I don't know the whole story behind what happened with your family and Bella," she began to tell Edward boldly, "but the one thing I do know is that the Fiores are nothing like the way you describe them. They're a wonderful family, loving and caring. They all have each other's backs. The way I see it, your family isn't like that. You proved that enough by the way you've all acted today. So leave them the fuck alone."

I couldn't help the small smirk that escaped my lips. _That's the Mandy I know._

"You're fucking pathetic," she spat at Edward, who barred his teeth at her. But she didn't even flinch. "You had her. She was willing to give you everything and you let her go. Did you think she was going to wait for you forever? Had you not found out that she was still alive, you wouldn't have cared. You wouldn't be putting as much effort as you are now."

At her speech, Edward mouth took on a scowl. He knew that what she was saying was true.

"Come on, Mandy. Let's just leave it alone," Ives tried to tell her. She sighed but relented.

"Okay," she told him but turned to Edward one final time. "Give it a fucking rest. Bella's done. The Fiores' are done. You're just trying to squeeze yourself in a space where you're not wanted."

With an understanding among my family, we nodded our heads.

Edward opened his mouth once again, but we were already gone before he could even utter a word, the familiar comforting feel of a blanket covering us as we transported out of their presence.

* * *

><p>"What are you guys doing back here? School started thirty minutes ago," Cassandra scolded as we appeared before her.<p>

I let out a sigh. "We got into another run-in with the stupid Cullens," I explained.

"Again?" Adrien asked. I nodded.

Cassandra looked at me with soft eyes. "Look, Bella. If it's getting that bad, then I think we should reconsider moving. Honey?" She turned to Adrien, who nodded in return.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll be able to find another job somewhere," he agreed.

"They're right, Bella," Rayne spoke. "I know I didn't want to move before, but I can't stand seeing them every damn day anymore. I can't take it."

Patrick and Daniel nodded in agreement.

"I'd really like to move as well," Patrick added. "They're getting on my last nerves."

"Come on, Bella. You shouldn't even be hesitating about this," Daniel said.

I bit my lip and looked at Landon, wondering what he had to say.

He shook his head at me. "You know what I want, Bella. I've wanted to move since the first day they got here. It's all you. What do _you_ want?"

Feeling the burden on my shoulders, I collapsed onto the sofa behind me. "I don't know," I admitted.

Cassandra walked over to me and rubbed my shoulders soothingly. "Why don't you want to move, Bella? Make us understand."

"I just… Hell, I don't know. I want to move but at the same time I don't want to. Does that make sense?"

"Wait," Ives finally spoke. "What about Mandy? We can't leave her here!"

Mandy looked over at him sadly. "It's okay. I mean, if you guys have to leave then – "

An unmistakable voice piped in, cutting off Mandy. "If you ask me, I don't want to move either."

Our heads snapped towards Rhia's voice. She appeared with Marc behind her.

"And what do you two think you're doing here?" Cassandra scolded.

"Rhia felt something wrong, so we teleported here as fast we could," Marc said.

"And what about your teacher?" Adrien asked.

The two just shrugged indifferently.

"Still, I stand by what I said. I don't want to move either," Rhia repeated.

She stared at me, boring into my eyes. I held her gaze.

_What are you doing?_

_We'll talk later._

"Why?" Daniel asked her. "Why would you want to stay here?"

"Why should _we_ have to leave? We were here first. I don't see why we should give them the satisfaction of leaving. I'm sure Bella feels the same, right?"

I nodded slowly, confused as to why Rhia was trying to help me.

"Me either!" Ives piped in. "Mandy just barely found out our secret. It's not fair to leave her in the dust just after finding out."

"Seriously, Ives. It's okay," Mandy tried to assure.

Ives shook his head. "No, it's not – "

"Okay," Cassandra interjected. "As of now, we're not leaving." She turned to me. "But Bella, think about this, okay? The Cullens are stressing you out. I can see that."

I nodded. "I will. I just need to get my thoughts straight."

I looked up at Landon. I bit my lip at the intensity of his stare. His eyes were bordering red and black. He was pissed. I could tell.

"Come on, Bella," Rhia said, grabbing me by the hand.

"Where are you taking her?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah, where are you taking me?" I repeated.

_Just play along, okay? We need to talk,_ she told me.

"Somewhere, and none of you dare follow us. Otherwise, you'll regret it," she said to the others.

Almost immediately, she surrounded the two of us with fire and teleported us out of the house. I inhaled sharply as we appeared deep within the forest.

"What the hell was that about?" I demanded from Rhia.

Instead of answering my question, she proceeded to take on a completely different subject.

"I understand why you don't want to move. That's why I took your side," she said.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't get you. Why are you trying to help me?"

She sighed and looked at me straight in the eye. "This has to happen. Do you understand?" Before I could even get the chance to say no, she began speaking again. "I've told you about my premonitions before, right? Well, this is one of those things that _has_ to happen. We can't leave. Otherwise, you'll just be postponing something that has to happen."

"And what exactly is supposed to happen?" I asked her. "Don't think that I haven't noticed how you and Marc have been acting. You guys are so damn suspicious. I don't understand how no one else notices."

She turned her head away from me and pursed her lips. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I rolled my eyes. "You and Marc have been speaking in hushed tones the past couple of days. I can never understand what you're talking about because your sentences are broken. Obviously, you guys are speaking telepathically too."

Rhia let out a dark laugh. "I didn't realize you were so observant."

Instead of allowing her to goad me, I kept up my inquisition. "What the hell are you hiding from me, Rhia? From us? Is it that huge that you can't trust anyone with it?"

Rhia finally looked at me once again. I bit my lip as I saw the first emotion I've ever seen in Rhia's eyes. It wasn't exactly the first emotion I've ever wanted to see in Rhia. Sadness. There was sadness is her eyes.

"Because if I tell you, I know you're going to deny that it will happen. I _know_ that you're going to do _everything_ to make sure it doesn't happen. I hate to break it to you, Bella, but it doesn't work that way," she explained.

"Rhia – "

"No, Bella. I can't tell you. I'm _not_ going to tell you. I have to let things fall into their own respective places. When the time comes, you'll know what's going to happen. And you'll know what to do."

I shook my head. "I still don't understand."

"You're not supposed to!" she snapped angrily. "You don't know how hard it is for me to carry this kind of burden! I _know_ that things are going to happen, terrible things, but I can't do anything to stop it because I know that if I even try, it's going to happen anyways. All I can do is warn you, Bella, and help you move towards the right direction. And staying here is the direction you need to go, and _we_ need to go."

I was shocked silent by her outburst. This is the most emotion I've ever seen Rhia show. "Rhia… I didn't realize…"

"No one ever realizes! No one but Marc!" she shouted. Taking a deep breath, she let out a sigh. "Look, sorry, okay? I just… I need you to trust me. Even when it seems like I'm the villain in the situation, I need you to realize that I'm doing this for our good."

I nodded and finally relented. "Okay," I whispered. "I just hate not knowing what's going to happen."

She let out a dry laugh and looked me in the eyes. "Sometimes, not knowing is better than knowing."

"I guess so," I agreed silently. "Should we head back?"

I was surprised when Rhia walked back to me and placed a gentle hand on my forearm. "Please, Bella, for the love of God, don't tell anyone else what we spoke about today. Not even Landon."

I nodded in agreement. "You have my word."

"And Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"No matter what happens, there's going to be a happy ending for all of us, for _you_."

Maybe her words were supposed to give me assurance, but instead, they haunted me.

**Oh damn! Well that escalated quickly! :)**

**Any thoughts? What do you think Rhia and Marc are hiding? Hmm?**

**Sorry again for the lack of a quicker update. I'm trying to finish the next chapter as fast as I can. **

**I desperately hope you guys are still hanging in there. If you are, please leave a REVIEW and let me know. I want to know that you guys still want this story to go on. **

**Your REVIEWS are what gives me the will to continue writing this story. I love knowing that you guys love this story. So please, leave me a REVIEW.**

**I LOVE YOU GUYS. Like, for real.**

:)


	23. Madeline

**Ahh, crap. Well, here's another promise broken. Sorry again, guys! I made this chapter about 4,000 words to try to make up for my lack of updating. I guess I should just stop making promises, huh? I hope you guys are still hanging on though. Sorry!**

**Anyways, this chapter might seem a bit off, but remember, everything happens for a reason. I hope you guys enjoy :)**

Chapter 23: Madeline

When Rhia and I went back home, it seemed that everyone had already dispersed into his or her respective rooms even though it was only noon. I took a look at Rhia, who only shrugged at me.

"Well, I'm out. Adios." She gave me a salute and trotted up the stairs and into her room.

I rolled my eyes. If she's going to act like nothing happened, then I'll do the same.

I listened up to my room, hoping Landon was there, but it was dead silent. I sighed. He's probably in this studio. I tried not dwelling on the fact that he was probably pissed at me. Again.

Instead, I shook my head and walked into the kitchen, realizing just how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I immediately smelled the remnants of food from the kitchen. I figured everyone else had just finished eating.

Both Adrien and Cassandra were already gone, off to their work.

I opened the fridge with a sigh and took out a Tupperware filled with spaghetti. I rolled my eyes. Adrien _would_ cook pasta. I quickly heated the pasta and took a seat on the table as I started to eat.

I took my fork and stared aimlessly at the spaghetti.

_We can't leave. Otherwise, you'll just be postponing something that has to happen._

I stabbed a fork full of spaghetti into my mouth and munched on it with resentment. God, I hate this. I get that Rhia's just trying to warn me, but all it's done is make me worry.

What's going to happen? Is it that bad? Is anyone going to be hurt?

To distract myself, I kept stuffing my mouth with pasta. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on the taste of the spaghetti, but I couldn't find it in myself to enjoy it.

"Gah," I muttered to myself and pushed the plate away.

I placed my arms on the table and buried my head into my arms.

_When the time comes, you'll know what's going to happen. And you'll know what to do._

Damn it! What if I don't know what to do? What if I end up screwing things up and making things worse? And how the hell am I supposed to know what's going to happen?

I began banging my head on the table, angry at myself, at Rhia, at the world, at Fate. I don't understand why all of this is supposed to happen. For fifty years, everything was great. Why now?

_No matter what happens, there's going to be a happy ending for all of us, for __you__._

I scoffed to myself. As if that was supposed to make me feel better. I've read tons of stories before. Before every happy ending, a shitload of crappy things go your way.

Before Snow White got her prince, she had to be poisoned by a damn witch. Before Ariel got her happy ending, she ended up losing her voice, almost losing Eric to Ursula, and battling Ursula to death. Cinderella ended up being locked up in an attic _and_ dealing with her evil stepmother and stepsisters.

What's going to happen in _my_ story?

I let out a breath and finally brought my head back up. I stared at a picture frame that was hung on our kitchen wall.

The entire family was looking at Patrick's camera with a goofy expression on their face. Adrien put peace signs on top of Rhia and Cassandra's heads. Cassandra stuck her tongue out at the camera. Marc was pulling on Rhia's ponytail while Rhia scowled at the camera. Ives had Patrick's head locked in his arms and Patrick was biting Ives' arm in retaliation. Daniel had Rayne in his arms bridal style with a silly grin on his face. Like the cheerleader she is, Rayne cheerfully gave the camera two thumbs up.

Lastly, my eyes scanned over to where Landon and I were in the picture. Despite the craziness that surrounded us, Landon and I still managed to find ourselves lost in our own world. My arms were firmly around his neck while his hands intertwined themselves around my waist. His forehead rested gently against mine. My eyes had fluttered closed at his close proximity but a smile was prominent on my lips. Landon's eyes, on the other hand, were open, gazing at me with the utmost love in them.

Even in the midst of my internal struggle, I couldn't help the smile that escaped my lips. However, a frown quickly took its place as a terrible thought crossed my mind.

What could possibly happen that can ruin the happy family that's in that photo?

"Bella?"

I bit my lip and immediately shook the thought out of my head.

"Yeah?" I turned around to see Daniel looking at me worriedly.

"You alright?" he asked, taking a seat next to me. "You've been staring at that picture for five minutes."

"What?"

He chuckled softly. "Yeah, I kind of didn't want to disturb you. You looked deep in thought. What's up?"

I sighed. "I don't know. Everything. I'm just trying to get my thoughts straight."

He playfully bumped into me with a smile. "Hey, no matter what your decision is, we stand by you. We're not going to force you to move if you don't want to."

"I don't want to be the one holding you guys back, you know? I mean, out of all of us, I'm still the newest one to the family and – "

Daniel held a hand up and intensely looked into my eyes.

"Don't _ever_ think like that again, okay? The duration of your time with us has nothing to do with how important you are to us. You could have barely joined our family a month ago or a week ago, but we'd still stand by whatever you want to do."

I gave him a smile. "Thanks, Daniel."

"Now tell me, why don't you want to move?" he asked, finally asking the dreaded question that I didn't know the answer to.

"Seriously, Daniel, I don't know and it's fucking driving me crazy. I don't know why I don't want to move. I mean, I should, shouldn't I?"

He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "I don't get what you mean."

"It's like… _I_ want to move but something else is forcing me to stay here. That sounds all kinds of fucked up but that's how I feel. It's like I'm _meant_ to stay here. I can't leave just yet," I tried to explain but even to my own ears, it didn't make sense.

His eyes were suddenly alert. "Do you think someone could be controlling you?"

I shook my head. "No, it's not like that. That something… it's something _in me_. But I can't pinpoint exactly what it is. Maybe it's my own premonition senses. I don't know!" I was starting to get irritated with myself. "I'm not even making sense to myself."

"Hey, chill." Daniel placed a soothing hand on my arm and patted it gently. "If your gut feeling is telling you to stay, then stay. You don't have to overthink things."

I let out a dry laugh. "I do panic about everything, don't I?"

He smiled at me. "You'll be just fine, Bella. Don't worry too much."

I exhaled a deep breath and nodded. "I won't. Thanks, Daniel. You have no idea how much that helped."

"No problem. Besides, I've got to ante it up a little bit. It seems that Ives is getting all of the 'most favorite brother' points around here," he joked.

I laughed genuinely. "I just tell him that so that he'll leave me alone."

"Hey! What the hell?!"

Daniel broke out into a belly laugh. "Told you so."

Ives pouted as he strode into the kitchen. He stood in front of me with his arms crossed. "You lied to me."

"No I didn't," I denied with a grin. "I just bent the truth a little."

"It's still lying!"

Daniel stood up and gave him a smirk. "Don't worry, you can be the _second_ favorite brother."

Ives huffed and stomped his foot. "No! I refuse to be deduced to that!"

Daniel grinned and gave me a salute before leaving the kitchen. "See you later, Bella. Feel better."

"Thanks, Daniel!"

"No problem!"

"I can't believe you, after I backed you up earlier today."

I turned to Ives with a smile. "You only agreed to stay because of Mandy. That had nothing to do with me."

"Yeah?" he challenged. I raised an eyebrow. "Well… well… your mom!"

And with that, he stalked out of the kitchen. I grinned at his retreating back.

That's Ives for you. Overdramatic as always.

I hopped off of the kitchen stool with a smile plastered onto my face. I finally stopped thinking about Rhia's words and just decided to go with the flow and take things one at a time. Daniel really has no idea how much he just prevented me from going into a full-blown panic attack.

Looking at the clock, I realized that it was already past three o'clock. I must have really spent a lot of time by myself as I thought about everything Rhia said. No wonder I was getting so damn irritated.

School should have already ended by now, meaning I could finally go out without being questioned why I'm not in school.

Rayne bounded down the stairs and stopped in front of me with a grin. "I totally heard that thought. Want to go shopping? I've been dying to go out but Cass and Dad told all of us to stay in until school ended."

I smiled at her. "Sure, just let me get my bag."

I teleported in my room and grabbed my back, slinging it over my shoulder and across my chest. Quickly, I went back to Rayne, who was already clearly ready.

"Let's go?" I nodded.

We walked over to her car. I took a seat in the passenger seat while she took the driver's. While she drove, I turned to talk to her.

"I take it you heard my conversation with Daniel?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, and I agree with him. Stop overanalyzing everything. If you want to stay, then we'll stay. It's that easy."

I sighed and sat back on the seat. "I wish. Landon is easily pissed at me again."

Rayne snorted and rolled her eyes. "Landon's extremely easy to piss off these days. Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll be just fine when he comes back home. Besides, you're already marrying him aren't you?"

I smiled at that. "I guess you're right."

"Speaking of your marriage…"

I groaned. "Oh no! This was your plan the beginning, isn't it?"

She grinned evilly at me. "Come on, Bella. It's about time we start looking at some dresses."

"Where are you taking me?" I asked with a small smile.

She squeaked happily. "I'm taking you to Sparks' Bridals. I heard they're the best bridal store in Edinburgh," she answered.

"Well? Hurry up then," I joked. She chuckled and drove even faster.

Finally, we arrived at the shop. The building was nothing major. In fact, it was probably only as big as your average McDonald's. However, I could tell that, by the smiling ladies walking out of it, that it was a successful bridal store. Mannequins wearing wedding dresses were displayed through the window. Just by look at the dresses, I could already tell that I was going to love whatever the shop had in store for me.

"Ready?" she asked me. I nodded.

She linked our arms together and we walked into the shop together. As soon as we walked in, I was greeted by the smell of freshly baked pastries and coffee. The walls of the shop were light beige, giving it a very homey feeling. Two stages were on either side of the shop with sofas in front of them. Currently, both stages had a bride-to-be on them, and family members and friends sitting on the sofas, both praising and booing the dresses being shown to them.

I looked at Rayne and she gave me a grin. "So?"

"I like it," I commented, looking around some more. I looked ahead of us and saw a woman, most likely in her late 30s, behind a desk. She looked up and saw us. A smile quickly took its place upon her face as she saw us. She set some papers aside and began walking towards us.

"Hi," she greeted, "Do you have an appointment?"

Rayne answered for me. "No, actually, we just came here to check the place out."

The woman nodded and held out her hand. "I'm Shannon Sparks."

Rayne and I shook her hand. Rayne flashed me a grin as she introduced us. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Rayne and this is my soon to be sister-in-law Bella. I'm assuming you own the shop."

She nodded with a grin. "Yup, that's me. Well, I hope that you like what you're seeing so far."

I smiled at her. "We do. This shop looks fantastic."

She chuckled. "I would sure hope so. After all, I do my best to make it look presentable."

"Just a question, how do we set up an appointment?" Rayne asked Shannon.

"Oh, of course! As you can see, we only have two stages, so that means we only do two appointments at a time. Generally, each appointment lasts four hours. Most brides-to-be don't usually take that long, but we have had some ladies who needed more than those four hours. On a case like that, we send them home for the day and assure them for another appointment the next day. After all, we can't be canceling any appointments for the day," she explained.

"Is there any way we can just look at some dresses without an appointment?" I asked her.

She smiled and nodded again. "Yes, in fact, there is. Usually appointments are dress fittings, so if all you want to do is look at dresses, you are free to do so at any time."

"Do you think we can go look at some right now?" Rayne asked.

"Of course!" Shannon exclaimed. "Let me just call up one of my assistants and they'll lead you to the back room."

"Thank you, Shannon," I told her with a smile.

"No problem. One of my assistants will be with you soon." She scurried off into the shop, looking for an assistant.

Rayne looked at me happily. "This is fantastic. Cassandra is probably going to kill us for not bringing her, but whatever."

I chuckled. "Ha. Ha. Funny. Anyways, I like Shannon. She seems like a very happy person."

"She kind of has to be if she wants to sell," Rayne joked. I just rolled my eyes.

A brunette man started walking towards Rayne and I. He wore blacks dress pants and a white button down shirt that was tucked into his pants. He approached us with a friendly smile.

"Hello," he greeted. Rayne and I shook his hand. "The name's Andy."

"Andy…?"

He smiled. "Just Andy."

Rayne and I shared a look, and then shrugged.

"Okay then, Just Andy," I said, giving him a grin. "Show us the way."

Andy let us through the halls of the store. Rows and rows of white dresses surrounded the three of us. If I was claustrophobic, I'm pretty sure I would have already had an anxiety attack.

"We have plenty of choices here for you, as you can see," Andy said with pride in his voice. "Each dress is carefully crafted by Miss Sparks."

"She honestly makes this all from scratch?" Rayne asked with awe in her voice.

Andy gave us a huge smile. "Absolutely! It is one of the reasons why I love working with her so much. It's a great pleasure to work with someone who has so much passion in what she does."

Rayne grinned at me. "What I tell you?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure that all of these dresses are wonderful, Andy. But..."

He raised an eyebrow. "But what? Do you not like our selections?"

"Yeah, Bella? What's wrong with the dresses?" Rayne asked, gliding her fingers through the fabric of one of the dresses.

I took a glance at all of the dresses that surrounded us. I shrugged. "I don't know. I just don't see myself wearing any of these dresses. They are way too magnificent."

Andy had the decency to look taken back. "I'm not sure I follow you. Don't women like _grand_ weddings?" he asked.

Rayne threw me an exasperated glance. "Well, not this chick," she muttered under her breath.

"I beg your pardon?" Andy asked.

I sighed. "I want a simple wedding. In all honesty, Andy, I'm sure any other woman would be honored to wear these dresses. I just… I want something simple."

"Simple but elegant?" he inquired. I nodded.

A slow smile began to spread on his lips. "Well, why didn't you say so? I wouldn't have dragged you down _this_ hall, had I known."

"You mean to say that there's _more_?" Rayne asked incredulously.

He nodded. "Of course! Miss Shannon makes dresses for every occasion."

I smiled. "Can we go see your more simple dresses then?"

Andy's eyes twinkled with excitement as he led us out of the hallway. "The other dresses are in a different door."

Rayne and I silently followed behind him. As we walked back out to the major lobby, a hushed argument came to my attention.

"I don't understand why you do this!" a woman hissed.

"Do what, _Mom?_" the other snapped in a biting tone.

_Can you hear that?_ I asked Rayne in my head.

_Hear what?_

_There's two women arguing,_ I answered._ It sounds like Shannon and... _My eyes widened. _Mandy?_

_Mandy? _Rayne asked, surprised.

"Hey, Andy."

"Yes?"

"Who are those two women arguing?"

He abruptly paused, causing Rayne and I to almost run into him. "Ah, that is most likely Miss Shannon and her adopted child."

"Shannon has an adopted child?"

"Two adopted kids actually. Miss Shannon never got around to marrying and she's sterile. Her only option was to adopt and adopt she did. The youngest of the two children is absolutely fantastic. She is such a sweetheart. And the eldest... well, she doesn't get along with Miss Shannon very well. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Miss Shannon received her at a more mature age."

"You don't happen to know why they argue, do you?"

"They just don't see eye to eye on many things. Miss Shannon is very... how do you put it? Umm, girly? And her daughter, well she's a completely different story. Her fashion sense is _horrid_! She likes to wear _punk_-ish clothes," Andy said with distaste in his voice. "When Miss Shannon first adopted her, she was completely smitten and believed that the child was only going through a phase. As it turns out, it's not a phase. It's just who she is."

At this point, the three of us had stopped heading in the direction of the dresses. We stopped in the main lobby and I searched for the origin of the argument. By Andy's descriptions, I'm almost a hundred percent sure that he's talking about Mandy.

"Her name isn't likely to be Mandy, is it?" Rayne asked Andy.

Andy's eyes lit up questioningly. "You know Mandy?"

"Yeah, she's our - "

"Why can't you be like your sister?" Shannon's voice cut through Rayne's response.

Mandy let out a scoff. "Well, this is ironic, ain't it? Usually, the younger child is the one being compared to the eldest. It's not my freaking fault that the kid is programmed with the genes of a genius. Sorry I didn't live up to your expectations, _Mom_."

"Why do you continue to call me mom in _that _tone?"

"What tone are you talking about, _Mom_? I'm talking to you the way I normally do, _Mom._ But wait, you're not really my _mom_, right?"

"Take that back you ungrateful child!"

"I'm not ungrateful! It's not my fault that you make it a point to make it seem like you regret adopting me every single day of my life!"

"I do no such thing! And keep your voice down! You're attracting the attentions of others."

"You would hate that, wouldn't you? You would hate the fact that you have such a failure of a daughter. It's sad, really. You had the choice to pick a daughter that would give you pride but instead you chose a daughter that's given you nothing but shame."

"You're blowing this out of proportion, Madeline!"

"My name is Mandy! I am not Madeline. I have _never_ been Madeline! Madeline is the daughter that you pictured in your head when you adopted me. Newsflash, _Mom_, it's been five years since you adopted me. I'm not that twelve-year-old anymore. I'm seventeen! When are you going to accept that fact that I'm never going to fit the mold that you so desperately want me to fill?!"

_Madeline?_ I asked, glancing at Rayne. She looked back at me with concerned eyes.

_Mandy never mentioned the fact that she was adopted,_ Rayne said.

"This argument started because you've skipped school _again_! Don't drag this argument into something else!"

"What do you mean _again_?" Mandy spat. "I _never_ skip school, _Mom_. This is only the second time!"

"The second time in a span of weeks! I desperately hope you do not make a habit out of this."

"You desperately hope for a lot of things out of me. I think it would just be best if you stopped."

"Madeline - "

"Stop calling me _that_! Once before, I tried so hard to be _her_. I got good grades. I would do everything you told me to do. Hell, I've joined so many clubs in Edinburgh High and have made a reputation for myself. But it's never enough! It's never enough for you! _Madeline_ is the child you've _always_ wanted. And me, _Mandy?_ I'm the child you _never_ wanted."

Mandy walked away from her mom.

Rayne and I looked at each other in panic. We didn't want Mandy to know that we had heard their entire argument. If she's never told us about her home life, there's obviously good reason. And we just happened to find out why.

As soon as Mandy saw us, her eyes widened into saucers.

"Shit."

She took off running, not even batting another glance at us.

"Mandy!" Rayne and I shouted after her.

Shannon looked at us questioningly. "You know my daughter?"

Without answering her, I grabbed Rayne's hand and followed Mandy. Rayne let out a small snicker as soon as we exited the store.

"What? What could be so damn funny right now?" I snapped.

"I told you Shannon was only being nice because she wanted to sell. Obviously, she's not as nice as she seems."

I sighed. "Maybe she's just a little misunderstood."

"Misunderstood? My ass. No one should ever be treated that way, Bella. To be expected to be someone you're not. You of all people should know that. The Cullens tried to force you into a mold you didn't fit. And we all know how that turned out."

I couldn't argue with Rayne. I had nothing to say back to her. Because she's right. It feels horrible.

"I guess it's true then," I finally commented.

"What?"

"The worst pain hides behind the brightest smiles."

"Now you're just trying to be poetic," Rayne joked lightly. Neither of us laughed.

"Where do you think she went?"

Rayne shrugged. "I would say school, but after hearing all that, I doubt it. School must be another prison for her."

I nodded. "Maybe we should just let her cool off?"

"But we should also assure her that this doesn't change the way we view her as a person. She probably believes that we think the worst of her right now."

"As if. She's a way better person that I am."

**Do you guys remember when Rhia was so quick to accept Mandy? Yeah, well, keep that in mind.**

**There's a reason why Mandy's real life has been revealed to you guys.**

**She plays a very important part in this story.**

**P.S. In the midst of updating this chapter, I'm currently writing the next. Please bear with me guys! See you at my next update!**


	24. Revelations and Explanations

**Okay, so I know that I've been gone for over half a year. *ducks and hides* I know some of you guys probably feel like I've abandoned this story. But alas, I would never abandon this story! This story is my baby!**

**There are quite a few more chapters left to this story, so don't you guys worry!**

**I also ask that you guys watch my update video: ** /_watch?v=ttQNewp0DgU_ (basically just add this extension after the youtube website address)

**It's a pretty important video, so you guys should definitely watch it. I talk about where I want this story to go. I really need you guys' input. Okay, I'll stop. Enjoy!**

Chapter 24: Revelations and Explanations

**Bella POV**

Rayne and I slowed down and just decided to stop running after Mandy. We've decided that it's just better to leave her alone for now.

"I never knew that she was adopted," Rayne said quietly.

I let out a sigh. "I guess there's a lot of things that we don't know about her either," I replied, resigned. "Who would've thought?"

Rayne shook her head slowly. "That must suck. I mean, Dad has never expected Landon and I to be anyone we're not. He supports us the way a parent should. From what we heard and saw, I can tell that Shannon is trying to make Mandy into _Madeline_, the daughter she never got."

I looked off into the far distance. Everything looked inhumanely clear. I could see every speck of dust, every rustle of the wind… And I realized just how similar Mandy and I were. We've both been forced to try to live a life that isn't for us. We've been so blinded by our love of those people that we didn't realize that we were slowly losing ourselves.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Rayne asked, concerned.

"Do you think that this is who I really am?" I asked Rayne suddenly. Her eyebrows furrowed at my question.

"I don't think I – "

"Maybe along the way, I lost myself because of what happened. When Edward left, I felt like I no longer had a purpose in life. It was almost as if _he_ made up who I was. So when he took himself away, it felt like I lost myself as well. I feel like I've become this new person, but all the while, I still haven't found that person that I lost."

I stopped walking and looked up into the sky. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. "Now that he's back, that _they're_ back, I feel like I finally have a chance to find what I lost. It's time for me to become who I've always been."

I turned to Rayne and saw that she was staring at me with speculative eyes. I could tell that she had no idea where I was going with my words. "You guys asked me why I didn't want to move. Well, this is my reason, Rayne. Because just like Mandy, I've been forced to live a life that wasn't meant to be, and because of that, I've somewhat lost a part of who I am. I have a chance to find myself again, Rayne. And if it means having to put up with the Cullens' presence, then I'll do it."

"Bella," Rayne started softly, "You don't have to dwell on the past. You have a great future ahead of you. Sometimes we lose things for a reason, because we just might find something better. You lost _them_, but you've found _us_. And that's all that should matter."

I smiled at her, but let a lone tear slide down my face. "Maybe you're right," I agreed as I quickly wiped away the tear. "Sorry for being so emotional. The Cullens seem to do that to me," I apologized.

She let out a small chuckled and took a step towards me. Her arms encased me in a huge embrace. "You're a girl. There's always room for being emotional," she joked lightly. With one final squeeze, she let me go. "Don't question yourself, Bella. Everything that's happened has a purpose. You shouldn't have to second guess your identity."

I nodded, absorbing her comforting words.

With Rhia's words, Mandy's similarities, and my own doubts, I just couldn't help but wonder what the future holds. It's not only the past that I'm dwelling on, despite what Rayne might believe. I'm also desperately anxious about the future.

"Let's head back?" I suggested.

At the nod of her head, I allowed the fire to consume me as we transported ourselves into Rayne's car. Rayne easily gripped the steering wheel and began driving us home.

"As for Landon," Rayne began, "He'll come around. He always does."

I gave her a sad smile. "I'm tired of fighting with him, Rayne. There's going to come a point when _sorry_ will stop being enough."

She sighed. "I understand. Just don't give up on him, okay?"

"I would never give up on him, Rayne. Ever."

At my declaration, Rayne gave an approving nod. Silence overcame the two of us, until Rayne decided to venture onto a topic I wasn't exactly looking forward to.

"So what did you an Rhia talk about a while ago?" she asked.

I bit my lip and stared blankly ahead. "Nothing important," I decided to say.

Rayne rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You really expect me to believe that, Bella? If Rhia didn't want us to follow you guys, it's obviously for good reason. Rhia may be a bitch, but does everything for a reason. So tell me, what did you guys talk about?" She looked at me straight in the eye, telling me that she wasn't about to back down.

I sighed. "Rayne, it's not that I don't want to tell you. It's because I can't tell you and I shouldn't. Like you said, Rhia does everything for a reason. If she doesn't want me to tell anyone, it's clearly for good reason," I explained.

Rayne cursed under her breath. "You should really stop throwing my own words back at me," she muttered.

I allowed a small smile to reach my lips. "I'm sorry, Rayne. As much as I'd like to tell you, to let you into my little dilemma, it would just be better if I didn't."

Rayne let out a breath. "I get it, Bella. I really do. Sorry for trying to force it out of you."

"It's okay," I assured her.

"I say we should head back," Rayne suggested, "We're not gonna accomplish anything here. It's hard to find someone who doesn't wanna be found."

I sighed but understood where she was coming from. "Ready?"

She nodded and soon let the flames take over her. I felt the same blanketed feeling come over me as I teleported myself back to our home.

* * *

><p>It was no surprise that Landon was once again not at home. I shared a look with Rayne but all she could offer was a shrug.<p>

"I figured he wouldn't be home," I said, sighing. Rayne gave me a sad smile and put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Do you think we should tell the others about Mandy?" Rayne asked me.

"I think we should just leave her alone," I answered, "If I know Mandy, then I'm sure she'll come to us on her own."

Rayne nodded, accepting my answer. "Well, I'm just gonna head up. Will you be okay?"

I smiled weakly. "Yeah, you go ahead. I'm probably gonna go take a walk or something."

I watched as Rayne ascended up the stairs. I let out a breath. Truthfully, I wasn't okay. I couldn't possibly be okay, knowing Landon was angry at me. Again. No, this time we would fix things on my terms. I wasn't about to just sit here and do nothing.

As soon as Rayne was out of sight, I gathered my bearings and stalked out of the house.

There was no doubt in my mind where Landon would be: his tree house art studio. The last time he wasn't home, that's where he was, back when the studio was still a work in progress.

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to transport to the outside of the tree house. I could've chosen the scenic route but I had no time to waste. We needed to get our shit together and we needed to do it _now. _

As soon as my feet made contact with the forest ground outside the tree house, I could already sense Landon's presence. My eyes narrowed, straining to see what Landon could be doing but I couldn't quite catch a glimpse of him.

Taking a deep breath, I spread my wings before me and willed myself to fly up to the tree house. On the patio of the tree house, Landon's movements sounded more distinct. I could hear him gliding some sort of material against the tree house's walls,

I let go of my entire hesitance and strode into the tree house's interior. I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips upon my entrance.

it wasn't Landon who first caught my eyes. No, it was the masterpiece he was working on. Landon's hand froze mid-stroke. I couldn't tear my eyes off of it. Landon drew it on a section of the studio's white walls that wasn't tainted with paint. I could clearly tell that it was drawn with charcoal; the evidence was held in Landon's hand.

My hand covered my mouth in shock. Finally, I tore my eyes from the masterpiece and stared at Landon.

"I don't – "

But I couldn't finish my sentence. I still couldn't believe what I was saying. Tears began to pool in my eyes. My heart was overwhelmed with so much love that I felt it would burst.

Landon let out a ragged breath. "Oh God, please don't cry. It's not that horrible, is it?"

Right then and there, I've never seen Landon look so unsure of himself. His hand, black with charcoal, rose to scratch the back of his neck; an action he does when he's uncomfortable.

Still in shock, I began to step towards the masterpiece. Landon stood aside to give me access. I was about to touch the drawing but drew my hand back almost immediately, scared to ruin it. Inside, my eyes scanned the drawing. Eyes similar to my own stared back at me.

"Landon," I whispered, still staring at the masterpiece. "Oh, Landon. It's beautiful."

"Really?" he asked weakly, his voice tickling the back of my neck. I hadn't even realized that he moved at all.

I turned around and bumped straight into his chest. Reflexively, Landon grabbed a hold of my arms to steady me. Slowly, I lifted my head to meet his gaze. My eyes burned at the vulnerability I saw in his eyes.

"I still don't think the portrait does you any justice," he murmured. "I would never be able to capture your beauty."

I opened my mouth to speak, but could think of nothing to say. Instead, I gently removed his grip from my arms. His eyes were instantly filled with hurt. _Oh no, that won't do. _

Before he could turn away from me, I threw myself onto him, locking my arms around his neck, before I crashed my lips onto his. His initial surprise left him stiff and unmoving but as soon as he got over it, he returned the kiss with as much fervor.

His hands reached up to cup my lips as he drew me closer. My fingers entangled themselves in his air, pulling gently.

Not wanting to let things get to out of hand, I was the first to pull away. Our breaths mixed as we panted for air. I couldn't help the smile that escaped my lips.

"Why are we stopping?" Landon asked breathlessly.

Placing a quick peck on his lips, I answered, "Because the last time we got too carried away, we got paint all over the walls."

Landon glanced at me and chuckled. "And so?"

I playfully thumped his chest. "You're getting out of control, mister," I joked.

He placed a hand on my cheek once again; his eyes became more serious. "Are we okay?"

I sighed but leaned into his touch. "Yeah, we're okay, but we can't keep doing this, Landon. We can't just keep fighting and making up."

"I know. I know. But please help me understand, Bella."

"Help you understand what?" I asked, refusing to meet his eyes.

With both his hands now cupping my cheeks, he willed me to gaze at him. "I know you tell me to trust you, that you love me, that you wouldn't leave us for those bloodsuckers. But sometimes, Bella, trust is not enough. I know you're leaving out things from me and quite frankly, it just feels like you're hiding something."

I closed my eyes and saw everything prior to this moment flash before my eyes.

"_Please, Bella, for the love of God, don't tell anyone else what we spoke about today. Not even Landon."_

My eyes snapped open, only to find Landon's questioning eyes scrutinizing me.

"I'm sorry to hear that trust is not enough," I said.

Landon gently shook his head. "I don't mean to say that I don't trust you, it's just that – "

I rose a hand to stop him from furthering his position. "You don't have to explain yourself. I understand where you're coming from. And you're right. I've asked you to trust me without any sort of explanation and I think it's time I gave you one."

I could see my reflection in his eyes and I couldn't bear it. He trusted me wholeheartedly and here I was keeping secrets from him, about Rhia, about Fate, about everything. But despite it all, I could feel in my bones that Rhia is serious about everything she's told me. And she's right. What difference does it make if I tell Landon everything? It's not going to change the outcome of anything. Worse, getting to the outcome might become harder than it's supposed to be.

"Well?" Landon probed.

I took a step away from him and walked towards one of the windows of the studio. Landon followed me immediately. I kept my back to him as I stared out into the forest.

"My decision to stay here has more to it than just proving the Cullens wrong," I started. "When they left me, I felt like a huge life was taken away from me. No matter how much I hate them now, there was once a time when I did love them, when _they _were my family."

Landon was quick to interject. "But they treated you like crap."

I breathed out a small harsh laugh. "They didn't always treat me like crap. Carlisle, Esme, and Emmett were among those that really did make me feel like family. I think Alice didn't really realize what it meant for me to be human, that I'm not as graceful or beautiful like they are. That's why she sometimes spoke to me like I was lesser than her. Rosalie just plain hated me. Jasper couldn't stand the smell of my blood. And Edward – "

I broke off as my hands turned into fists. I grabbed the ledge of the window tightly; my knuckles turned white.

"Looking back on it, he was a controlling, heartless bastard," I spat out. Landon opened his mouth to say something probably obscene, but I beat him to it. "But I used to accept his treatment of me as love. Growing up, I was always the one who took care of those around me. When Edward came around, I finally felt like someone was taking care of me. I just didn't realize then that what we had wasn't love. No it was a sick manipulation game that I willingly put myself in and I'll always hate myself for ever allowing it to happen."

I heard Landon take a step towards me, but he was still a few feet away. "Bella, you can't think like that. You shouldn't hate yourself. They were all there to witness how he treated you. They could've stopped it. They know what effect they have on humans."

"But it was still my choice. I could've walked away if I wanted to. You know, in the beginning, Edward told me to stay away from him, but I didn't. It was my choice to pursue him."

Finally, I turned around to look at Landon, to let him see my burden. He only shook his head. "No, it was part of his game. By telling you to stay away, he knew it would only draw your curiosity."

My eyes flashed with anger. "Stop making excuses for me!" Landon stumbled back, surprised by my outburst. "I made a mistake in ever thinking that Edward loved me and I him. That is my mistake! A mistake that I am taking full responsibility for."

"Then why do you continue to stay here when they're just reminding you of the past?" he whispered.

I closed my eyes before answering. "Because this is my chance. Don't you see, Landon? I never got the closure I needed. Even though I've endured these last fifty years with them in the back of my mind, I've never been able to come to terms with my mistake. I've spent these years blaming them. And though they're also to blame, I have to take some of the fault too."

A beat of silence echoed throughout the tree house.

i could tell Landon was shocked. Hell, so was I. I've given it some thought while Rayne and I were talking about it earlier, as we drew the comparisons between Mandy and me, but this was the first time the confession really came out from my mouth.

Landon gazed at me and I could tell he was looking at me through different eyes. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It only meant that he finally understood.

"What do you plan to do?" he finally asked.

"These past few days, I've done everything I can to push them away, but I think it's about time I really talked to them. They're not going to just go away, whether we leave or not. In another country or another time, we're still going to bump into them. Might as well get it over with, don't you think?"

Landon opened his mouth to speak but paused. It seemed like something I said struck him weird. "This doesn't involve Rhia somehow, does it?" he asked.

I tried to look as impassive as I could, trying not to show any form of surprise. _Oh no! He knows! He knows!_ Instead of freezing, I was quick to ask, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, this isn't one of her _things has to happen because Fate said so_ crap, is it?" he asked, eyeing me.

I shook my head, not too quickly I hope. "No, absolutely not. This is all on me." I answered him as strongly as I could, trying not to show any sort of weakness.

Truth be told, all this realizations really did have nothing to do with Rhia, so I really wasn't lying to Landon. Unfortunately, I do fear that the things Rhia talked about are much worse.

"Okay," Landon finally said with a defeated tone. "You're right. It's time to face the Cullens. For real this time."

I closed the distance between and took a hold of his hands. "But whatever it is, we'll get through it together. Promise?"

He smiled and nodded. "I promise."

**If you conveniently ignored my earlier note, I repeat, please watch this video: **

/_watch?v=ttQNewp0DgU_ (basically just add this extension after the youtube website address)

**Very, very important news are in that video, such as plans for a future sequel and what not :) I'm still debating about whether or not I want a sequel to this story. Basically, the choice is kind of left in your hands. I talk more about it in the video so GO WATCH IT!**

**I hope I get a warm welcome back into FanFiction after disappearing from the face of the earth for over half a year. It's crazy how fast time passes, huh? To ease you guys' minds, I'm no longer going to be MIA from here. I've actually finished this story, wait...whaaaat?! I know! It's all been so crazy. Like I said, I talk about it in the video so GOOOOO!**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's not much, but it is like 3,000 words :) To prove to you guys that I really am ahead of my chapters this time, I thought I would give you guys a sneak peak into the next chapter, which will be up in a few days. Enjoy!**

"I like this, it's so peaceful and quiet. Just you and me."

* * *

><p>"What the fuck, Ives?! Get out of our room!"<p>

* * *

><p>"They just don't want us to be happy, huh?"<p>

* * *

><p>"I just want my ice cream!"<p>

**And there's that! I'll see you guys at my next update! Don't forget to leave me some love and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! :)**

**Also! Check out my chapter recap for this chapter here: **/watch?v=KFiZGEVaeSQ

**I talk about some things that I'm sure you guys don't want to miss!**


	25. Family Bonding

**I still feel like a lot of you think I'm lying when I say that I'm back... but I really am! And to prove it, I'm here with another update! See? It didn't take me more than a week this time around. And if you guys want to refresh your memory, please go and watch my Chapter 24 Recap on youtube: **/watch?v=KFiZGEVaeSQ (just add it to the youtube url). **While you're at it, don't forget to subscribe for more story updates and chapter recaps!**

**I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter! :)**

Chapter 25: Family Bonding

**Bella POV**

Landon and I stayed in the tree house for a little longer, not wanting to back home just yet. After the big discussion, we decided that we'd had enough for the day. We talked about a lot of things but we avoided the topic of the Cullens for the meantime.

"Wow," Landon breathed, his eyes wide. "I didn't realize Mandy had such a hard time at home. I always thought she's just a chill girl without a care about anything."

I'd just finished telling him about our encounter with Mandy and her mom from today's earlier events. It was hard to believe that so many reveals occurred throughout this one day.

"You stereotype her, Landon. Just because she's punk, it doesn't mean she's all cool about everything," I said, reprimanding him slightly.

He bowed his head in apology. "Yeah, you're right. It's just, who would've known?"

I agreed. "I definitely wouldn't have. It just so happened that we were at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Landon's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah, you guys were looking at wedding dresses!"

I laughed and tilted my head to look at him. We were both lying down with our backs against the picnic cloth Landon had laid out on the floor of the tree house.

"We just had this whole conversation about Mandy and that's all you got out of it?"

A deep throaty laugh vibrated through him and I found myself laughing despite myself. It was nice to finally spend some alone time with him. We'd spent so much of the past few days just fighting and making up that I'd almost forgotten how effortless it was for the both of us to be together.

"Sue me!" he exclaimed. "This is the first time we've talked about the wedding ever since I proposed." As if on cue, he grasped my left hand and entwined our fingers together. He lifted our twined hands and placed a kiss on the ring.

"Are you excited?" I asked, smiling.

"Happy?" he asked incredulously. "I'm more than happy. I'm ecstatic. Delighted. Jubilant. Rapturous. Euphoric!"

I laughed. "You want me to get you a thesaurus?" I joked, tears of laughter spilling from the corner of my eyes.

He beamed with joy. "Come here."

At his words, I scooted up to close the small distance between us. I rested my head on his chest as he wrapped a comforting arm around me and pulled me closer. I threw an arm over his body, embracing him.

I exhaled softly and admitted, "I like this, it's so peaceful and quiet. Just you and me." I heard a small chuckle escape his lips. "What's so funny?"

"Remember? When I first proposed and you said no, this is exactly what I meant and wanted. Just you and me. Not Rayne. Not Ives. Not any of them. Just you and me. But you were so worried about it and now here you are, enjoying it."

I snuggled further into his embrace. "You always get me to change my mind," I confessed.

I felt his words vibrate through his chest. "That I do, my dear. That I do."

"At first I hated flying and now it's my pastime. Do you remember how I reacted when I first saw a gun lying around?" I asked, chuckling at the memory.

A belly laugh erupted from Landon. "Oh, you were hysterical, going on and on about Rhia and Marc shouldn't be exposed to violence and how one of us were likely to get the gun and shoot someone in the house, preferably Ives."

I smiled at the memory. "It looked like the real thing!" I defended.

He grinned back at me. "I'm just glad you calmed down after we told you that it was a paintball gun. And hey, look at you now, a master of Epic Paintball."

"Like I said, you have the ability to get me to change my mind," I repeated.

"Only because you're just so boring sometimes," he teased.

"I resent that!"

"Don't you and Ives always?" His eyes twinkled with mirth.

A thought popped into my head. "Speaking of Ives, what do you think his future is with Mandy?" I asked, voicing out my thought on the matter.

"They're clearly made for each other," Landon stated with no hesitation.

"I think so too," I agreed, "Ives has this childish innocence about him. He never takes anything seriously. And here comes Mandy, someone who pretends she doesn't care, but actually does. Ives needs someone who can control him and that's Mandy."

Landon's thumb caressed my exposed shoulder as I talked. "I get what you mean. I see that same in Rayne and Daniel. Daniel takes everything seriously and hates spontaneity while Rayne sometimes only sees the surface of things and is quick to disregard other people."

I tilted my head, considering what he said, and agreed. "Cassandra and Adrien," I suggested next.

Landon chuckled. "Are we going to lay here and justify why everyone is perfect for each other?"

I nodded with no shame. It was nice hearing about everyone's love lives. It gives me hope for the future, that whatever will happen won't wreck the beautiful love shared between our family.

"Okay, then," Landon agreed, pulling me closer and rested his chin against my head. "We all know that my dad is immature."

I chuckled. "_No_," I joked.

"And yet we all love him for it. Cassie definitely wears the pants in the family. Come on now, Dad is the one who decorates the house, which says a lot. Dad is usually the more emotional one and Cassie is always there to comfort him. I've always been glad that Dad found Cassie. She's the best mom I could've ever asked for."

I longed to ask him a question but I was afraid that it might ruin the easygoing conversation we've made for ourselves.

"My mom was a druggie," Landon blurted out. My eyes widened. He'd answered my unasked question. _What was your biological mom like? _"I knew you were thinking about it," he added.

"I didn't – "

Landon shook his head. "No, it's okay. We've never talked about her. I think it's time we do." Landon was silent for a while and I thought that he might have changed his mind, but he spoke up again. "I really don't remember much and I'm not just saying that. I can remember glimpses of her, as much as my 2-year-old self could. I can still remember her outstretched arms, calling out for my name, after she'd come home for work. She was beautiful. Dad says Rayne is a spitting image of our mom, except for the fact that my mom had bleached blonde hair."

"Was she a good mom?" I asked.

I felt Landon shrug. "Like I said, there's not much I remember. Dad loved her. I know that for sure, but some people are just not meant to be, I guess. Anyways, apparently, my mom was caught with possession of drugs at work one day. She was fired and arrested. Dad says that was around the time they could hardly look at each other anymore. He couldn't leave her in that jail cell though. He paid for her bail but that was the end of their relationship. He filed for an annulment and gained full custody of Rayne and me. All I know is that almost soon after, my mom died of overdose."

A small gasp escaped my lips. "That's horrible," I whispered.

"It is what it is," Landon resigned.

Once against we were overwhelmed with silence I didn't know what else to say.

"That sucks."

Despite it all, Landon laughed. "Yeah, it does suck."

Attempting to lighten things up, I decided to bring Marc and Rhia up. "So, Marc and Rhia, huh?"

"What about them?" Landon asked.

I huffed. "Oh please, don't tell me you have no idea."

"Seriously, what?"

"Rhia totally has a crush on Marc." I felt Landon jolt slightly. I giggled.

"What? No way! Rhia is incapable of liking anybody!" he exclaimed.

"Stop being so dramatic," I chuckled. "I can't believe you've never noticed."

"Well, hello? We're talking about Rhia here. I always thought she just kept Marc around so that she could have a little minion to boss around."

"Remember when Rhia didn't like me back when we were in Forks?" He nodded. "She was jealous because Marc kept calling me pretty."

Landon threw his head back and cackled with laughter. "No freaking way! Oh, wait until she hears a load of this!"

I smacked his chest. "You are not allowed to talk to anyone about this!"

"What? Why?" he asked maniacally.

"Because Rhia will certifiably kill me when she finds out I've told you about it! And you wouldn't want that, would you?"

"Well..."

"Landon!" I shouted.

Laughing, he managed to get out, "I'm kidding. I'm kidding!" He cupped a whole side of my head and dramatically crushed my face against his chest. "I'll never let Rhia take you away from me. Never!"

We both broke down laughing our asses off.

"Oh my," I wheezed, crackling with laughter. "I love you so much."

Landon rolled over and I soon found myself at his mercy. His knees propped themselves against either side of me; his hands rested next to my head. He lowered himself, covering my body.

"I love you too, Bella," he murmured. "And I do mean it, I won't let anyone take you away from me, not Rhia, not anyone," he vowed.

Tears threatened to escape my eyes. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me, capturing his lips into a kiss. For a mere moment, I pulled away; my lips just hovering blow his.

"I'm yours. Forever. It doesn't matter the distance, the situation, the trouble. _That_, is my vow to you."

* * *

><p>"Rise and shine, lovebirds!"<p>

I groaned, covering my eyes from the death rays of the sun.

"What the fuck, Ives?! Get out of our room!" Landon grabbed the nearest pillow and chucked it at Ives. Ives was lucky to dodge the pillow. Landon threw it hard enough to have done some real damage.

Instead, Ives pulled back the curtains, allowing more sunshine into our room.

"_Ives_," I whined, dragging out his name. "What do you want?" I grabbed a pillow and buried my head under it. I felt Landon nudge himself under my dead grip and soon found him buried under the same pillow with me.

We shared a smile. His breathtaking smile was enough to wake me up. I'd rather stare at him that go back to sleep. One of his legs hooked around the back of my knees, pulling my closer.

"Oh geez, are you guys really doing this in front of me?" Ives wailed. "Stop it! Stop it right now!"

"Shut up, Ives!" both Landon and I shouted.

I heard Ives stomping out of the room and was glad to hear it.

"Good morning," I greeted a smiling Landon.

"A good morning it is," he agreed, stealing a peck on my lips.

I sighed. "I suppose we should go see what Ives is so excited about."

"No, we don't," Landon contradicted. I smirked. "We could stay here in bed, have a little – "

"No!" a shout came from downstairs. "No! You will not have sexual interactions in that bed!" The declaration was quickly followed by an "Ouch!"

"Ives! There are children in the house!" I heard Rayne reprimand.

"It's not like they're innocent – Ow!"

"Just keep your mouth shut, Ives," Patrick said with boredom.

"Can I have my ice cream now?" Marc's soft voice asked. I could just imagine him tugging on Rayne's shirt with a pleading look in his eyes.

Landon groaned. "They just don't want us to be happy, huh?"

"What about our happiness – Hey!"

"Really, Ives?" Daniel's voice was unmistakable. "How many times do you want to be assaulted by Rayne?"

"I say we let Rayne assault him some more, maybe she'll finally scare the idiocy away from him," Rhia drawled.

"I resent that!"

"You resent everything."

"I do not!"

"I just want my ice cream!" Marc shrieked.

Landon groaned and pulled away to shout. "Okay! Freaking hell! We're getting up! You happy?!"

"Very!" Ives shouted back.

Landon irritably got out of the bed to slam the door shut.

"Someone's being temperamental."

"IVES, SHUT UP!" all voices in the room rose to share the same cause.

Landon grumbled and ran his fingers through his unruly hair. I propped myself on my elbows to watch him pace back and forth adorably. I had every right to crave him like candy. His shoulders were straightened with tension but it only further outlined his arm and back muscles. I watched as his boxers hung dangerously low on his waist.

I didn't even realize it but Landon had stopped pacing. Instead, he stood with his arms crossed; a smug smile adorned his face.

"Ms. Bella Roux, are you eye-fucking me?" he questioned with mock shock.

I smiled sweetly. "What ever did I do to make you think so?"

He grinned and pounced on the bed. I bounced along with the bed and cackled with laughter as Landon tackled me into the bed. He nuzzled my neck and blew raspberries against my shoulders. I grabbed his neck and rolled us over so that I'd be straddling him. His hands automatically found themselves on my hips, steadying me.

"Oh how the tables have turned!" I spoke dramatically.

"Geez, they're role-playing now!"

I narrowed my eyes in annoyance. "Ives!" I yelled, "Do you want me to tell everyone of your larping escapades?"

I was met with silence.

"What the hell is larping?" Patrick queried with curiosity.

"Nothing!" Ives yelled, quick to defend.

"I thought so!" I shouted back, "Now leave Landon and me alone for ten minutes! You'll survive!"

From beneath me, Landon beamed with pride. "You handled that very well," he stated with a smile. "Now tell me, what is this larping?"

I grinned. "It's – "

"No! Bella! Don't you dare – " The rest of the noises that escaped Ives' mouth were unintelligible mumbles.

"Finally! Someone shut him up!" Rhia praised.

"My ice cream!"

I chuckled and collapsed on top of Landon. "So much for peace and quiet, huh?"

"Soon," he promised. "I'll make sure of it."

"You never know, we might actually miss all this banter," I suggested. Landon and I stared at each other, then laughed. "No way."

"I'll take peace and quiet over them any day," Landon agreed.

"That's hurtful!"

"Stop listening in on our conversation, damn it!" Landon yelled.

I smiled. "Yeah, definitely peace and quiet."

Finally, Landon and I got the ten minutes we asked for. The voices downstairs muted as I heard them disperse.

"So, we have ten minutes," I pointed out.

"Shower?" he suggested with a glint in his eyes.

"Shower," I agreed with a smirk before padding off into the bathroom.

**Soooooo? I really enjoyed this chapter. I've been itching to have our Fiore/Roux family back into the story and here they are!**

**Check out the the recap for this chapter here: **/watch?v=9pAYFeUlUiE **I've also got some big news for you guys at the end of the video! So check it out!**

**Also, it would mean the world to me if you guys can check out my personal youtube channel: **abadjaaay. **I've really been wanting to get into youtube for a while and I've finally decided to go through with it. If you guys are fans of Cassandra Clare, I recently just put my an original song I wrote for the Infernal Devices. It would be amazing if you guys can go check it out: **/watch?v=Qnmd4DBQ8u8.

**Tell me what you thought of this chapter and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**See you guys at my next update!**


	26. Epic Paintball

**First off, I'd like to say that this is one of my favorite chapters to write. I've wanted to write a full-out paintball scene for a while and it finally happened. WHOO! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

**Also, if you haven't seen my Chapter 25 Recap go check it out here: **/watch?v=9pAYFeUlUiE (just add it to the youtube URL)

**Stay tuned to the end of the video because I have big news about the SEQUEL and SOMETHING ELSE. You guys won't be disappointed!**

Chapter 26: Epic Paintball

After our well-deserved shower, which admittedly lasted longer than ten minutes, Landon and I finally headed downstairs. As usual, we found the rest of the family in different parts of the house.

Rhia and Marc were in the kitchen. Rayne and Daniel were in the living room. Patrick was in the garden and Ives was off to who knows where. I knew Cassandra and Adrien would be on their way back home. They went to go do some errands before any of us were even awake.

"Okay, we're here," Landon announced to Rayne and Daniel, whom only spared him a glance.

"Ten minutes my ass," muttered Rayne.

Daniel chuckled. "You guys took an hour up there."

"Shower," I explained as if the one word explained everything and indeed it did.

Daniel's eyes lit up. "Of course," he smiled.

Ives appeared out of nowhere with an annoyed look on his face. "You guys just put back paintballing by an hour!" he whined.

Rayne, who I knew could care less, shrugged. "You're the only one who really cares."

Daniel shook his head. "Nuh uh, I am so ready to beat Rhia!" he explained. He bumped fists with Ives and they both let out eager grunts.

Rayne only patted Daniel's lap. "Whatever makes you happy, honey."

Rhia and Marc finally rendezvoused with the rest of us. "Daniel, you've been claiming that you'd defeat me for fifty years. Give it up," Rhia said with a roll of her eyes.

Daniel narrowed his eyes and challenged her. "I say you're just scared," he taunted.

Rhia's eyes flashed and she grinned evilly. "I do like a good challenge," she smirked.

"Rhia has that look in her eyes again," Patrick pointed out as he appeared with his camera around his neck. "It's creepy. Did Daniel gamble his dignity again?"

"That was one time!" Daniel begrudged.

"What about that other time when you ran around the school naked?"

"Or when you announced to the airport that Rhia was your supreme overlord?"

"That time when Rhia made you her personal pony transportation throughout the Mall of Asia?"

"Okay, so I may have lost my dignity more than once!" Daniel finally admitted.

We all laughed.

"What are the terms this time, Rhia?" Patrick asked, chuckling.

Rhia stared Daniel down and cackled evilly. "I don't know yet but I'll come up with something."

"I got my ice cream!" Marc announced.

We all spared him a glance. "That's nice, Marc," Ives commented. Marc stuck his tongue out at Ives, who returned the gesture.

"Are you done acting like a child?" Landon asked Ives. Ives only changed the direction of his stuck out tongue from Marc to Landon.

Patrick grinned. "You guys ready to get this epic paintballing on the road?"

"Whoo!"

Rayne unenthusiastically joined in.

Ives was the first one to get to the weapons room. Yes, we call it the weapons room. We took a chunk of our garage and made it into a room. Against two of the walls, our different kinds of guns were hung. We also have tables against the walls that contained our smaller guns. On the other two walls, we had shelves filled with different kinds of ammo.

We had different colored paintballs on each shelf, ranging from black to zebra to rainbow. What fun it was to make different patterns of paintballs. I grabbed my weapon of choice and wrapped a utility belt around my waist. I filled it will all kinds of paintballs. Leaning over Landon, I grabbed a rainbow paint grenade and stuck it inside one of the pockets of my utility sash.

_Paint grenade?_ he asked.

I grinned. _You know it._

_Nice_, he applauded.

After we all finished grabbing our weapons, we piled outside of our house, just in time to see Cassandra and Adrien getting out of their car.

"Hey, Cassie, Adrien," I greeted pecking their cheeks.

"You guys playing again?" Cassie smiled. We all nodded.

"You guys know my rule. No one better get hurt," Adrien warned.

"Totally," Ives agreed.

"Okay, then. Guess it's all settled." Adrien shrugged and headed into the house.

"Good luck, Daniel," Cassie said, patting Daniel's shoulder, before following her husband.

Patrick and Landon laughed.

"Even Cassie knows where this is all going to lead up to," Landon said.

"Oh, Cassie is hilarious," Patrick joked.

Daniel glared at them.

"So what? You guys ready?" Ives asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Hey, you know what, I might actually enjoy this," Rayne admitted.

We all stared at her.

"Really?" I asked. "Rayne, you hate paintball. In fact, you lose on purpose."

"Well, this feels different. Maybe it's the grenades. We've never had them before," she giggled with excitement.

I looked at the rest of the group and knew we were all thinking the same thing. _What the hell was up with Rayne?_

Ives shook his head. "You guys know the rules. The house is the center of the square battlefield. Our perimeters are 300 feet away from the house on all sides. Anyone found outside the battlefield is an automatic disqualification. No exceptions. Other than that, it's a free-for-all. As soon as you're directly shot, you're out. Any questions?" Ives laid down the law right there and then. I smiled. Paintballing is the only time when Ives is ever serious about the rules.

I met Landon's eyes. _Partners?_

He gave me a short nod.

"Okay," Daniel started, "Ready for transportation in 3, 2, 1!"

I grabbed Landon's hand and let the flames consume us. When I opened my eyes, I found Landon and I atop the branches of a tree deep within the forest. I pursed my lips and so did he. We both knew our rule. _Silence is key._

I brought two fingers and directed towards an adjacent tree. He nodded quietly and exposed his wings. He flew over to the nearby tree, managing not to make a single sound. I bit my lip as I looked at the thicket of trees ahead of us.

I closed my eyes and allowed my Phoenix senses to take over. My ears perked up at the sound of rustling leaves. My eyes snapped open and I met Landon's eyes.

_It's Rayne, _he announced.

I smiled. _Of course it is._

I looked below us and saw that Rayne was running on her own. No doubt Daniel wouldn't let her near him. He's a man on a mission and he won't let even the love of his life from distracting him.

_Oh, Rayne, you poor girl,_ I cooed in my head.

I saw her hide behind a thick bush. Unfortunately for her, she was still visible to Landon and me.

_Grenade?_ Landon suggested, not able to hide the excitement from his question.

_That's evil! But pure genius!_ I replied, smiling maniacally.

As quietly as I could, I took the rainbow paint grenade from my utility sash. I ripped the pin from the grenade and threw it down at Rayne. She only became aware of the grenade when she heard it crash to the ground. She whipped around wildly, searching for the origin of the sound. It was too late when she finally saw the grenade.

It exploded all over Rayne, covering her in seven different colors of paint.

I couldn't help it; I fell onto the branch supporting me and wheezed with silent laughter. I cradled my stomach. I was laughing so hard it hurt. I looked across and saw that Landon was no better off.

Rayne shrieked with utter disgust and frustration. Finally, she looked up and saw Landon and me.

"You guys are jerks!" she yelled.

She was a hot mess. The explosion of the grenade blew her hair back. Her hair was reminiscent of a Troll doll's hair and was the color of a rainbow. Basically, Rayne looked like a walking rainbow.

"I will always commit this moment to memory!" Landon shouted down at her, still laughing.

"Gah!"

Rayne was consumed by flames and disappeared before our very eyes. I transported over to Landon and grabbed his hand.

"New position?" I asked.

This time, I let him transport us.

We found ourselves hiding inside a thick bush. Unlike Rayne, we hid inside it, rather than behind it. When you play Epic Paintball too many times, you learn a few tricks or two.

Landon and I found this bush the last time we played paintball. Since then, we managed to carve the inside of the bush, allowing just enough space for the both of us. What's left of the bush is still thick enough to hide us from Phoenix eyes.

This time around, we had to wait a little while, unlike Rayne, who showed up almost seconds right after we were positioned.

I narrowed my eyes and looked through the bush. Admittedly, this was a much harder hiding place, because our vision was blocked.

_There._ I pointed out to Landon.

My eyes directed him towards a pile of boulders. I could just make out a bit of Patrick's green wings.

Landon picked up his gun and aimed at Patrick. Patrick's back was clearly to us. There's no way he could have expected it when Landon shot at him, not once, but three times. First with white, then blue, then red.

"What the hell?!" Patrick groaned and leaned against the boulder. "It's barely been ten minutes and I'm out! Again!"

I couldn't handle it anymore. I broke out laughing. The image of a rainbow Rayne mixed with a horror-stricken Patrick killed me. Patrick was just icing on the cake. Rayne stole the center of attention. I leaned against Landon, hoping for support, but he too was laughing.

I could hear Patrick's footsteps towards us. He wasn't just walking. He was stomping.

He burned off what was left of the bush and exposed Landon and me dying of laughter.

He threw his hands up into the air in defeat. "Of course! _Of course!_ This has to be cheating. Who hides inside a bush?!"

"Smart people," I managed to get out, still dying of laughter.

"Whew, if it makes you feel better, we're not really laughing at you," Landon told him.

Patrick raised his eyebrow. "Oh really? Because what else would you be laughing at?"

I shared with him the image of rainbow Rayne and he too started laughing. I wiped tears from my eyes, finally catching my breath. Landon and I were still on the ground, now joined with Patrick.

"You guys really got her good," Patrick praised.

"She was right. The grenades really do make everything more interesting," I commented.

"Okay, well, Bella and I need to keep going," Landon announced.

Patrick rolled his eyes. "You guys are still jerks. Couldn't you give me a break?" And with that, he transported out.

"You know what would be a good place?" I asked Landon. He raised an eyebrow.

I grabbed his hand and transported us to the house. We found ourselves on the roof, surveying the action below us. In the backyard, the usual rendezvous spot, where everyone who has been shot stays, Landon and I saw Patrick, Marc, and still a rainbow Rayne.

Patrick was still laughing and Marc was giggling to himself. Rayne looked murderous.

_Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh,_ I admitted.

_She needs to learn from her mistakes if she wants to get good at it,_ Landon replied.

I nodded, understanding what he meant.

I put a hand over my eyes, blocking the sun, as I surveyed the place. I couldn't see Ives, Daniel, or Rhia anywhere. I did, however, see three cars driving towards us from far down the street. I couldn't quite distinguish the drivers, but I could tell that the cars were expensive. As in Cullens expensive.

**AAAAAAND I just dropped that DUN DUN DUN! If you guys watched the recap video, I talked about how there's going to be a lot of action in the next chapters. It starts here! **

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! If you did, don't forget to give me some love and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **

**Check out the Chapter 26 recap here: **/watch?v=xH493fr8STM

**SUBSCRIBE to my fanfiction youtube channel: _Teamjacobrulez_**

**If you guys would, also check out my personal youtube channel here: **/user/abadjaaay

**See ya'll at my next update!**


	27. Failed Rescue

**Okay, shoot me now. School is a lot more hectic and stressful than I expected. I am done with the story, like I've been saying the past few chapters, but I keep forgetting to update! I'm so sorry! I keep saying I'm gonna do it, then I get caught up doing something else.**

**If you wanna refresh your memory, watch my Chapter 26 recap here: **/watch?v=xH493fr8ST (add this to the youtube URL)

**Just saying, ya'll are gonna love this chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 27: Failed Rescue

_Oh, geez. They're here again, aren't they?_ Landon asked with irritation clear in his voice.

I sighed. _Let's go see what they want._

_We're in the middle of a battle here! And we're doing so well too!_

I groaned. "Seriously, this is like the best we've ever played."

"We even got a rainbow Rayne out of it."

"Oh, shut up!" Rayne screamed.

Landon and I broke out cackling again in laughter.

Once we'd contained ourselves, we flew down to the house.

Just because we were meeting up with the Cullens, it didn't mean I'd given up on the game. It put Landon and I in a vulnerable position, but I still kept my eyes and ears on the lookout.

I heard the rustle of leaves on my left, but thought the better of it. It was probably just the wind.

Landon grumbled. "They always come in the most inconsiderate times. They do realize that we have lives, right? No, of course not."

I patted his arm in comfort. "There's always another battle in the future."

"But this is the best we've ever played!" he complained.

The snap of a twig caught my attention. I whipped my head towards the origin of the sound.

_Did you hear that?_ I asked Landon.

He nodded.

At the same time, I could see that one of the three cars was driving much faster now. It had taken the lead. At the rate it was going, it would reach the house in ten seconds flat.

Landon and I met eyes.

My hand instinctively reached down towards my paintball pistol. Wherever the sound came from, it was close enough that I could shoot the person with a pistol and be accurate about it.

Landon and I put some distance between us, making sure we had each other's back.

I heard the sound again and twisted just to catch the sight of brown hair. The next thing I know, I hear the tires screeching. My eyes snapped to the car but instead saw Edward running towards me at incredible speed.

"Bella! Watch out!"

I couldn't tell who said it, Landon or Edward? Before I knew it, Edward had propelled himself towards me as I heard a gunshot. No, two gunshots.

It all went down in slow motion. Edward jumped in front of me with his arms stretched out. I could see the little red paintball flying through the air, heading towards me, or rather towards Edward. At the same time, I caught sight of Landon with his pistol directed towards Ives. Ives must've been the one who shot the paintball heading towards me, err, Edward.

_Splat! Splat!_

The paintballs hit their target.

My eyes were wide with shock. Edward had thudded harshly against the ground; the red paint was splotched all over his chest. Ives, on the other hand, was cursing like a madman. Green paint covered his entire right shoulder.

"Fuck! Fuck it all to hell! I didn't even get Bella! No, dumb leech had to get in the fucking way!"

Ives glared at Edward from the entrance of the forest.

"Bella," Edward croaked, one of his arms extended towards me.

Ives had made his way towards us; his eyes were set on Edward. "Oh, get up, you little shit. First of all, it's fucking paint. Second, it's not like you bleed bright red. Third, stop being a little pussy. I took that paintball like it was nothing and here you are, acting like you're dying."

Landon and I locked eyes.

For the millionth time today, we broke out laughing. Again.

Edward finally sat up instead on lying on the ground. He glared at Landon and me. "I don't see what's so funny. I thought Bella was going to be shot!"

"By a paintball gun," Ives said slowly, as if he were talking to an idiot.

The rest of the family, aside from Rhia and Daniel, whom I assumed were still locked in a great battle, finally decided to join the party.

Patrick, Marc, and Rayne were laughing hysterically.

"Oh God, did you see how he jumped in front of her?"

"And how he acted like he'd just saved her life?"

"He fell and was like _THUD_!"

The three held onto each other for dear life, laughing their asses off.

Landon and I were much the same. We leaned against each other, trying to calm ourselves down.

Cassie and Adrien also looked like they were about to lose their wits. They were both biting their lips, desperately trying not to laugh. Besides, they're the adults. They're supposed to be the mature ones. But even I can't blame them if they broke out laughing.

Ives was the only one with a straight head, for a change. He was still pissed off by the turn of events.

At this point, the rest of the Cullens had already arrived. They rushed towards Edward, concerned of the red splotch all over his chest.

Ives huffed. "Seriously! This means you guys are still in the game! It's not fair!"

While the Cullens were busy with Edward, I chose the time to taunt Ives.

I nudged him teasingly. "You really thought you were gonna get me, huh? Huh?"

He crossed his arms and raised his chin. "I would've gotten you if that leech hadn't gotten in the way."

"What happened to him?" Rosalie shouted at us.

"Oh, calm yourself," Ives said petulantly. "It's just paint. I don't see why it's such a big deal. It's not my fault that he can't handle the bullet."

"Bullet?!" Alice shrieked.

Landon covered his ears. "Pixie, it's a paintball bullet. It's not lethal."

"Your leech is just being a little bitch. Get over it," Rayne snapped, still in her rainbow form.

"Says the girl who looks like a rainbow threw up all over her," Alice bit back.

Rayne's wings spread from her back while her eyes turned red. She barred her teeth at Alice in a challenge. "Say that again!"

Jasper put a hand over Alice to prevent her from saying any more.

"Oh yeah! What did I tell you? Whoo! I'm winner!"

Rhia and Daniel appeared from the forest. And who came out of the battle unscathed? Rhia, of course.

Daniel had several splotches of paint all over his body in different colors.

Ives coughed. "Actually, Rhia, Bella and Landon are still in the game."

_Splat! Splat!_

"Not anymore." She smiled with her teeth and placed a pistol back into her pocket. I looked down at myself and saw pink paint that wasn't there before. It didn't even hurt. It felt more like a pinch. I looked over and saw that Landon also had pink paint on him.

Ives looked mind blown. His hands were on his head, pulling at his hair. "How the hell does she do that?!"

"I win. Again. Now say it, I am your supreme overlord."

We rolled our eyes. "Oh hail, Rhia, our supreme overlord," us players muttered in unison.

Rhia smiled, content with herself. She proceeded to skip over to the rest of us like a little girl, as if she wasn't just acting like a lethal killer in some crazy battle involving weapons and grenades.

"Oh my," a familiar voice gasped.

I finally just noticed the difference this time around. Carlisle and Esme were actually among the Cullens.

"Is this what you allow them to do in their free time?" Carlisle asked Cassie and Adrien.

Adrien shrugged at the question. "I don't see the problem."

"No problem?" Esme shrieked. "You're allowing your little girl to act like serial killer!"

Cassie's eyes narrowed. If there's something Cassie hates more than anything, it's when people tell her how to raise her children.

"Don't tell me how to take care of my own children. Better to let my children know how to defend themselves than to leave them at the mercy of bloodsucker like you," Cassie spat; her eyes gleamed red.

Cassie almost took a step forward but Adrien managed to pull her back, but it seemed even Adrien was pissed off.

"Besides," Adrien added, "We don't _allow_ our children to do anything. They're not our property. They have the right to do as they please. We're not their keepers."

Carlisle and Esme were stunned silent. Instead of retorting back, they turned back around and helped Edward to his feet.

In the meantime, the rest of my family moved towards each other. I stood at the edge with Landon beside me. Adrien and Cassie were right in the middle. We formed somewhat of a wall. It must have been an odd sight, considering most of us were covered in paint.

"I really don't see what all this fuss is," Daniel said grumpily to the Cullens, "You guys are acting like he's really just been shot."

"Well, you guys did shoot him," Rosalie snapped. Daniel rolled his eyes.

I raised my eyebrow at them. Edward had finally joined the rest of his crazy family. "Okay," I started out slowly, "What the hell made you think that I was gonna get shot?"

Edward dusted himself off before answering, "I was driving the car on the way here and Alice had a vision of a gun directed at you. I tried to get here as fast as I could."

"Let's say it was a real gun," I hypothesized, "What makes you think that I wouldn't have been able to take care of myself?"

"Bella!" Alice gasped.

"Shut up, Alice. I'm talking to Edward," I snapped. My eyes regarded Edward again. "Well?"

"I just thought – "

"I don't need saving, Edward!" I shouted. "You can't keep acting like you owe me some sort of debt. My life is not in your hands anymore, not like it was before."

Edward's eyes widened slowly, as did the rest of the Cullens.

Adrien coughed and suggested, "I think we should take this inside."

I nodded and took the first step towards the house. I felt Landon following closely behind.

_Bella, you okay? _Ives asked.

_I always knew this time would come. I can't keep running away. _I replied.

I met Landon's eyes and he nodded.

"You have a lovely home," Esme commented said to Cassie. Cassie gave a small smile in return, but I could tell her heart wasn't entirely in it.

"Thanks," Adrien was the one to reply, "I decorated it myself."

Esme and Carlisle looked stunned.

Adrien flashed them a grin before taking a seat in one of our couches. "Have a seat."

As Emmett passed by me, he offered a weak smile, which I returned. Rosalie and Jasper ignored me, as usual.

In the couch opposite to the Cullens, I was flanked by Landon and Ives. There was silence. It was clear no one knew what to say. I decided I would have to break the ice.

"Okay, let's all get it out there. This is it. After this, I don't want to see you guys again," I flat out said to the Cullens.

Alice's mouth dropped in shock. "You truly can't mean that."

Jasper wrapped an arm around his wife. "No, she does mean it."

"Bella," Esme pleaded. "You know you're important to us."

I scoffed. "Oh, I'm suddenly important?" I put as much sarcasm in it as I could. "I sure felt real important when I was left in those woods all by myself."

"Woods?" Carlisle asked with surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you don't know." He shook his head. My eyes immediately snapped to Edward, who refused to meet my eyes. I laughed. "Really, Edward? Guess I'm not the only one you fooled."

Landon grabbed my hand and gave me a gentle squeeze. It was all the assurance I needed.

"Bella, you don't understand – "

"I understand well enough, Alice," I spat, cutting her off. I turned to look back at Esme and Carlisle. "When your golden boy broke up with me, he did so in the woods. Even when he already left, I tried to run after him, which looking back on was a bad idea. I got lost and almost died of hypothermia," I revealed.

Esme gasped; her eyes wide. "No..." She shook her ahead as if the truth would just go away.

Carlisle turned to Edward with fierce eyes. "Edward, is this true?" he demanded.

Edward couldn't even give them a flat out answer. Instead, he just nodded.

"It was Bella's fault for going after him," Rosalie pointed out insensitively.

"Your bloodsucker didn't have to lure her into the woods," Patrick spat.

"You leeches know well enough the power you have over humans," Daniel growled.

Marc nodded his little head. "You guys are bad!"

"Bella, we're so sorry. We didn't know," Esme tried to apologize but I won't have any of it.

"I don't want your apologies. There's nothing you can do about it now," I said. With a sigh, I continued, "I'm done playing this game, okay? Stop coming after me because I'm just gonna keep pushing you guys away. Nothing is going to change my mind. You guys belong nowhere near my future. It's about time you all accept that."

"Bella?" Emmett asked.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Emmett. It can't work out. You're always going to be tied to them and this is me cutting off all ties. You included."

Emmett looked like I just kicked his puppy, but he nodded. "I understand."

"We'll respect your wishes," Carlisle resigned.

"Thank you, Carlisle, but you can't speak for the rest of your family." At this, I stared at Alice and Edward. "Alice? Edward?" I demanded.

Alice huffed petulantly. "Fine. If that's what you want."

"It is," I said with finality. She crossed her arms and avoided my stare. I sighed. I turned to Edward. "Edward?"

"Okay, whatever," he snapped.

_Better than nothing,_ Landon said.

_I guess so._

"Okay, then," Adrien started, clapping his hands. He stood up and led the Cullens out the door. "Is it safe to say that you guys are done harassing Bella?" he asked.

Carlisle and Esme nodded.

"We give you our word," Esme replied. Cassie and Adrien nodded their heads. One by one, the Cullens piled out of our home.

"Good riddance," Rayne muttered.

"That went a lot better than I expected," I heard Rhia mumble under her breath.

The rest of us followed the Cullens outside. None of them met my eyes. They just continued on towards their cars.

Feeling exhausted, I turned around and was ready to head back into the house, but alas, things are never as easy as they should be.

"No! I refuse!" Edward growled and was stalking his way back towards us.

"He just never gives up, huh?" Ives said.

**Ohhhhhh damn. Haha, I told you guys you'd love this chapter. I definitely enjoyed writing it! I should have a Chapter 27 Recap up in the next few days, so check it out :)**

**The story is coming to an end people. Only a couple chapters left! But don't worry, I did announce a sort-of sequel, and an actual sequel. Haha, if you want more information, check it out here: **/watch?v=xH493fr8STM (add it to the youtube URL).

**I promise not to forget to update this time around. Sorry again!**

**Don't forget to REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	28. Parting Ways

**I'm sorry for my sudden disappearance again! Ahhhhh I'm such a horrible person. I can only hope that this chapter will make up for it.**

**The sequel is still a go. I'm finally going to start writing it tomorrow. If you would like to catch up with Chapter 27, type in this video  
><strong>**/watch?v=K4O0qvZiiGc**

** Just attach it to the end of the youtube url address. It'll update you on what I've been up to and the Chapter 27 Recap. Check it out before reading this chapter!**

**I didn't realize how heartbreaking this chapter was… you'll find out what I mean.**

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 28: Parting Ways

**Bella POV**

The rest of the Cullens stared at Edward wide-eyed.

"How could you choose _him_ over me?" Edward yelled, gesturing to Landon.

"Oh, you little – "

I grabbed Landon's hand to prevent him from attacking.

"You know nothing," I said coldly. "Walk away now, Edward, before I do something I regret."

Edward shook his head. "He's worthless! He comes from a worthless mother! A druggie! Why would you stay with someone like that?!"

I could see Landon, Rayne, and Adrien seething with anger.

Rayne was furious. If Daniel didn't have a firm grip on her, she would have ripped Edward's head off for sure. Adrien, on the other hand, was frozen on his feet.

My eyes turned into slits. Oh, I was seeing red. Landon tried to escape from my grip, but I only tightened my hold on his hand.

"How do you even know about that?!" I shouted. I thought about it and growled. "You were there, weren't you? Spying on us?"

He didn't have any time to answer. My wings had sprouted angrily from my back; my eyes burned red. I let go of Landon's hand and took a step forward. I drew my hand back and threw fire towards Edward. He was stunned in shock. It landed just a couple feet away from him, but I wasn't done. I lifted my hands and willed the flames to entrap Edward in a circle.

Landon stood of to the side with his arms crossed. None of my family moved to stop me. They knew that this time was personal.

The Cullens rushed over, panicking.

"Bella!" Carlisle pleaded. "Please! Don't do this!"

I could hear Alice and Rosalie's shrieks mixed with the rest of the Cullens' pleas.

I shook my head. "No, Carlisle!" I growled. "He took it a step too far this time around."

I stared at Edward, who was looking around him wildly. Slowly, I made the circle of fire smaller and smaller. My eyes were focused on nothing else. I clenched my hands into fists as I felt my body burn with satisfaction. I could hear the Cullens shrieking but I couldn't be bother. The flames had closed in on Edward. Just a couple more inches and he'd be burning alive.

At this thought, I snapped back to clear thinking. I gasped for air, as did Edward, who collapsed into the ground. I pulled my hand back and made the fire disappear just in time to save Edward.

"Bella," Landon breathed with worry. He caught me before I, too, could collapse.

The Cullens had rushed to Edward, looking him over.

"I – "

I couldn't finish my sentence. I went too far. I hadn't meant to try to kill him.

I pulled away from Landon and transported. I barely head their shouts of "Bella!" before I disappeared.

I found myself deep within the woods. I grabbed onto a nearby tree and tried to steady myself. Tears spilled all over my cheeks. I gasped for air. Finally, I began to sob. I leaned my forehead against the tree trunk, trying to make sense of everything.

I could've killed Edward right there and then. It only would have taken a few more inches. It would have ended everything. But I couldn't do it. No matter what Edward might have done to me, it wasn't enough to kill him.

So many thoughts were ringing in my head.

Edward's words spat themselves back at me. I saw the pain and hurt that were evident in Adrien, Rayne, and Landon's eyes at the mention of their long lost family member.

I should've killed Edward. He can hurt me all he likes but my family is an entirely different matter.

But I couldn't kill him. No matter how much I willed myself to do it, I just couldn't.

And I don't know what it is. Sympathy? Pity? Maybe even the smallest pinch of love I used to think we shared?

I heard the clapping of a hand. My head snapped to the sound; my eyes were still blurry with tears. I could still make up the figure. It was Rhia. She made her way towards me, clapping.

"Rhia?" I asked unsurely.

"That was beautiful, Bella. You should've killed him," she praised.

I spat at the ground in disgust. "I should've," I agreed.

"But you couldn't," she continued. "The Cullens are gone. They've left and I firmly believe that they're going to stay away for good this time. That Edward sure looked scarred for life."

"Good," I breathed.

Rhia finally reached me, standing a good foot away. "Then why don't you look happy about it?"

I snapped. "How could I be happy about almost killing someone?"

"Well, you didn't. Be proud of that," Rhia said.

I sighed and leaned my back against the tree. "I lost control back there, Rhia."

"Well, I sure as hell would've lost control too if that bastard was talking crap about my family," she said in an effort to make me feel better. But it didn't work.

We stared at each other in silence. Her eyes gave her away.

"Oh no..." I murmured.

She offered a sad smile. "It's time, Bella."

I turned away from her as more tears slid down my face. "Rhia, I can't. It's not fair."

"It wouldn't be fair for anybody if you dragged the inevitable out. Do this now and you can spare yourself more years of suffering."

"I don't want to leave!" I shouted at her. "I don't want to leave Landon. We're supposed to get married. We're – "

I broke out into sobs.

Rhia placed a gentle hand on my arm. "How can you guys get married when you hardly know yourself, Bella?" she asked softly. Without permission, I grabbed Rhia and hugged her. Surprisingly, she returned the hug wholeheartedly. "You need time alone, Bella. You need time to figure out who you are. You can't keep letting other people define who you are. Before, it was Edward and now, it's Landon."

"Where would I go?" I asked desperately.

"It doesn't matter where you go. All that matters is that you find yourself."

Finally, I pulled away from our hug. I wiped the tears from my face.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to get rid of me?" I joked with a sob.

Rhia smiled. "If I wanted to get rid of you, I wouldn't have waited fifty years just to do it," she justified.

"So you admit it. You do like me."

"I'm fond of you," she drawled.

We shared a meaningful look and for the first time, I realized that underneath all her hard exterior, Rhia really was a good person.

"I'm fond of you too," I admitted.

"Trust me, Bella. This is all for the best," she assured. "Just promise me something."

I met her eyes and nodded. "I know you go to Forks every year to visit your dad, but there's going to be one year when you finally decide to stay and when you decide to do that, stay. I want you to promise me that you're going to stay there no matter what happens."

"Why?"

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter why. I need to hear you promise me that you'll do as I ask."

"Okay," I agreed, "I promise."

"Do you still remember what I said? No matter what happens, there's going to be a happy ending for all of us, for _you_."

* * *

><p>Rhia and I finally decided to rendezvous with the rest of the family. As it turned out, everyone was looking for me, but Rhia knew just where I would be.<p>

When we appeared, I immediately saw Landon's worried face. He rushed towards me and embraced me into a tight hug. Then, he cupped my cheeks.

"Where were you? I was so worried," he breathed. I closed my eyes, refusing to let him see the tears in my eyes. "Bella?" he asked.

I heard Rhia rushing everyone else back inside the house. We had agreed that she would give me some time with Landon.

"Landon," I whispered. "We need to talk."

His hands dropped to his sides and he pulled away, taking a step back. "Bella, no..."

Finally, the first tear slid down my cheek. I opened my eyes to see Landon's eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I think we need a break."

He had been walking away but upon my words, he whipped around and glared at me furiously.

"No! Bella! Don't you dare do this to me!"

I tried to take a step towards him but he only moved further away. He punched a fist into a nearby tree in anger.

"Landon, I – "

"I knew it! This is all about Rhia and her Fate crap!"

"This is more than that!" I shouted back.

"Bella," he cried. "We're supposed to get married. You can't turn your back on me like this."

"Is that what you think this is?! I'm not turning my back on you! But I have to leave. I need to be alone," I tried to explain.

Landon's initial anger had faded away. Now, he just looked crushed. He fell on his knees and looked up at me pleadingly.

"Please, Bella. Don't leave. I won't be able to handle it," he pleaded on his knees.

It broke my heart to see him pleading for his life.

"Landon," I whispered. "This is more than me and you, okay? I need time alone. It's not healthy that I keep letting other people define me. It's about time I defined myself." I walked over to him and joined him on my knees. I grabbed his hands and willed him to look at me. "This is something that I need to do on my own."

"There's nothing I can do to change your mind?" he begged. "Nothing at all?"

I propelled myself and caught him in an embrace. I closed my eyes and felt tears leave trails down my cheeks.

"I'm afraid not, Landon. You can't change my mind. Not this time."

It hurt to do it, but I took the ring off of my finger. I leaned back and grabbed Landon's hand. Gently, I placed the ring on his palm.

His eyes met mine immediately.

"Bella, no..."

"I don't deserve this anymore, Landon."

He took the ring and slid it back on my finger. He placed my hand over his heart. I could feel his heart beating erratically under his chest.

"You will always deserve this ring. It's tied to my heart. It belongs to no one but you."

"Oh, Landon," I whispered.

I leaned in and we shared what could be our last kiss in a long time.

**So… yeah. How's that for an update?**

**The epilogue is the last thing that's left. Wow. I can't believe this story is finally over. Well… the first part of it. The sequel is still on people! I'll get back to you next week. I SWEAR.**

**Please don't be shy and let me know what you think. **

**And REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! :)**


	29. Epilogue

**My chapter 28 recap video is here: **/watch?v=zBhT_vNv0Og (add this to the youtube url)

**I have important news about Landon's Summer Diary so you all should check it out!****  
><strong>

**I also talk about the sequel here: **/watch?v=_D5sFzpIRgQ (add this to the youtube url)

**Go check it out! And finally, here is the last chapter to If You're a Bird, I'm a Bird.**

Epilogue

With my bags packed, I stood by my car. I gripped the keys tightly in my hand. Ahead of me, the rest of the Fiore and Roux family stared at him. They still couldn't understand my departure. No one truly understood but Rhia.

Landon wasn't among them. He stayed inside the house. He couldn't bear to see me leave and I couldn't bear to see his face while I leave.

"We're going to miss you, honey," Adrien said with a sad smile.

"I still can't believe you're leaving," Ives mumbled.

"Yeah," Patrick agreed, "I thought we were homies for life."

I felt a rush of emotion go through me once again. I dropped my bags to the floor and ran to give Ives and Patrick a hug. "We are," I promised, "Always."

I pulled back to see the two of them with shiny eyes.

"I'm not crying," Ives was quick to defend. "It's just my allergies."

Patrick chuckled hoarsely. "You have no allergies."

I turned to Adrien and Cassie. They too were on the verge of tears.

"Oh, Bella." Cassie gathered me into a hug. Adrien moved to join our embrace.

"You're always welcome with us," Adrien reminded, "Just because you're leaving, it doesn't mean you're not part of the family anymore."

I nodded, tears sliding down my face. Cassie cupped my cheeks and wiped away the tears. She leaned forward to kiss my forehead.

"You take care of yourself, okay?"

"Yes, Mom," I smiled.

Next, it was Rayne and Daniel.

Before I could even say anything, I found myself crushed between the two of them.

"I'm gonna miss you, little sister," Daniel murmured.

"Bella, who going to be my best friend now?" Rayne cried.

"I might be leaving but it doesn't mean that I'm not going to check in with you guys," I told them. "I'll be contacting you everyday. That's a promise."

"You better make sure," Daniel said. They finally pulled back and gave me air to breathe. Daniel ruffled my hair. "I'll track you down myself."

Rayne took the chance to hug me again. _Don't worry. I'll take care of Landon._

I smiled at her. _I know you will. I'm sorry that I have to leave._

_No. I might not completely understand, but in some way, I do._

I nodded.

Lastly, I kneeled onto my knees, allowing myself to be the same height as Marc and Rhia.

"Bella!" Marc cried as he crushed himself against me. "I'm going to miss you. You're the only one who always tells me where Dad hides the ice cream."

"What?"

I looked up to see Adrien half-glaring, half-smiling at me. I chuckled.

I hugged Marc as tightly as I could. "I'm gonna miss you too, my Kangaroux. I'll be back. I promise."

"But, when?" he whined.

I looked at Rhia but she only shrugged.

"I don't know when. I can only promise that I'll be back at some point. Hopefully before you get your first girlfriend," I joked. He pulled back and wrinkled his nose.

"Eww. I don't want a girlfriend," he denied.

I laughed and mussed his hair. Next, I turned to Rhia. Marc finally pulled away to allow Rhia access.

"Guess this is it, huh?" I asked her.

To my surprise, Rhia initiated the hug. I smiled and returned it wholeheartedly.

_You didn't think you'd be going all on your own. Did you?_

I pulled back and looked at her questioningly.

As if on cue, a taxi pulled up on our driveway, right next to my car. I raised an eyebrow at Rhia and stood up to see who it was.

My eyes widened as I realized that it was Mandy.

"Mandy?" I asked in disbelief.

Mandy got out of her car and I was genuinely surprised to see her with a bag of her own. My eyes kept switching between Rhia and Mandy.

"Hey, Bella. I heard you were leaving," Mandy started, "Do you mind if I join you?"

My mouth dropped. "What?" I turned to Rhia. She raised her hands up in defense and backed away.

Ives was just as shocked as I was. "You're gonna leave too?" he asked Mandy.

"Only if Bella would accept me." Mandy looked at me pleadingly.

I walked towards her apprehensively. "But what about your family? You can't just leave them behind."

"Bella, I know you and Rayne saw how my mom treats me. Believe me, I'm better off on my own. Besides, I'm eighteen. I have every right to leave home now if I want to," she explained.

"Great, I'm losing two people in my life," Ives murmured under his breath.

I smiled at Mandy. "I'd be glad to have you with me, Mandy." She bounced on her feet and gave me a hug. In her ear, I whispered, "Who told you I was leaving?"

"Rhia," she whispered back. _Of course,_ I thought.

After we pulled away, Mandy walked over to Ives.

"Hey," Ives started.

"You gonna miss me?" she teased, nudging him.

He bowed his head. "Yeah, I mean, I thought... you know."

"I'm gonna miss you too, Ives. We'll meet again. I promise."

At this, the two of them shared a meaningful hug.

I grabbed our bags and finally put them inside my car. I watched as Mandy said her goodbyes to the rest of the family.

Feeling someone's eyes on me, I looked up. Landon was staring at me from a window in the house.

_I'm gonna miss you,_ I thought to him.

_I wish you didn't have to leave._

I closed my eyes and remembered all of the memories we shared together, from the first time we met in Forks, to our New Years Eve kiss, to our first paintball game and everything else in between. I shared the memories with Landon, letting him feel this love, safety, and comfort I've felt with him throughout the years.

_I love you, Landon Drew Fiore. I'm yours. Forever. It doesn't matter the distance, the situation, the trouble_. I repeated the vow I had given him back at the tree house.

At this, Landon drew back the curtain and disappeared.

My heart contracted. He couldn't even bother to say the words back to me.

Mandy had finally joined me. I got into the driver's seat of the car while Mandy sat in the passenger seat.

"Bye, Bella! Bye, Mandy!"

I backed up from the driveway and waved goodbye back to the Rouxs and Fiores.

"Don't forget to call!"

"Check in with us everyday!"

"Goodbye, my loves!" Ives grinned.

Mandy and I laughed.

"Bye, guys!" I said in farewell.

I didn't know whether I imagined it or not, but I heard a faint voice in my head.

_I love you too. Fly back to me._

**Oh daaaaaamn. Guess this is it, you guys. I'm really thankful for everyone who's favorited and alerted this story. Without you guys, this story would be nothing.**

**PLEASE READ THIS!**

**Of course, this is NOT the end of Landon and Bella's story. Landon's Summer Diary and the sequel are on their way towards you. I explain all about it in this video:  
><strong>/watch?v=_D5sFzpIRgQ (add this to the youtube url)**  
><strong>

**Please watch it because I say everything in detail there and I also announce the NAME OF THE SEQUEL. Yes, guys, it's totally happening! ****The first chapter to Landon's Summer Diary will be published tomorrow! Don't you guys love me? :)**

**Landon's Summer Diary is pretty self-explanatory. It's a diary that Landon keeps while Bella's gone. He's basically writing to Bella. It's written in 2nd person point-of-view. I'm in love with it, and I hope that you guys find yourselves loving it too.**

**This is a really short sneak peak into the first chapter:  
><strong>

You used to be the first thing I saw when I woke up. Now, I see the white ceiling. Blank. Always blank. It's not you.

**Yup, that's it. MUAHAHAHAHA!**

**Until next time! Bye!**

**Don't forget to REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Let me know your thoughts and theories about the sequel haha.**

**Wanna see the story banner for Landon's Summer Diary?  
><strong>teamjacobrulezfanfiction weebly com(/)landons-summer-diary(.html)

don't forget to add in periods before and after the word "weebly," and take off the parenthesis. Duh. lol, jk I love you guys!


	30. Sequel Update!

**Just a quick announcement, the SEQUEL to If You're a Bird, I'm a Bird is finally up and published!**

**You guys have waited a long time for it to arrive and it's finally here. I cannot wait for you guys to continue the adventure that is Bella and Landon's love story. I'm waiting for you guys on the other side.**

**Fly Back To You is officially published!**

**You guys can check out the story banner here:**

teamjacobrulezfanfiction . weebly . com (/) fly-back-to-you-iybib-sequel . html

**I'm excited for you guys to read it :)**


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